Faith or Fear

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 
Psalm 95:1-2 NIV

Announcements

~Salvation Army is looking for bell ringers
~Budding actors and actresses: We are seeking volunteers to participate in skits and sketches during worship. See Cheryl Borndal if interested.
~No Christmas program practice this Wednesday.
~We are adopting a family again for Christmas again this year, a mom and dad and two small boys.
~Thanksgiving day there will be dinner at the church for those who have no place to go or desirous of extra fellowship. 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Covenant World Relief soup cans will be collected next week.
~Throughout the month of November we are filling a barrel with shoes and new underclothes for needy in Duluth.
~Christmas is on a Sunday this year. The Christmas Eve service will be at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday the 24th.

Chuck Vanderscheuren welcomed us and after announcements invited the children to help carry the shoeboxes to the front of the sanctuary for Operation Christmas Child.

After a time of worship the ushers came forward to take the offering. This was followed by a time of prayer.for needs in the church family and praises for all good things God have given us.

Faith or Fear

Pastor Terry White began by giving us a Covenant Park update. The camp is a great camp for young people but it has not been successful at covering costs to remain open year-round. The costs to operate the camp have been exceeding the revenue being generated by participation. Terry is chairman of the board at Covenant Park, hence his involvement in the center of this ministry.

* * *

Mother's Day is one of the busiest days of the year for police, primarily due to free flowing alcohol and families gathering together, often generating sparks. Anxiety and fears bring out tension... and frequently conflict.

Pastor White shared a little bit about coaching girls basketball when he was younger. Their approach was to always keep the pressure on their competitors with a full court press. When under pressure, mistakes happen. When the pressure is relentless the other team gets flustered, anxious and makes mistakes.

Fear and anxiety will do damage in your life. This is why Jesus calls us to a life of faith.

Today's message centered on Philippians 4:5-8.

Throughout the Gospels you will notice how Jesus is a non-anxious presence in the midst of stressful situations.

"Be anxious for nothing... but in everything, in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God."

This is the perfect response to anxiety. Deliberately bring our thoughts captive to God. God's peace will be ours in the midst of this whirlwind of circumstances.

Here's another great passage to memorize and reflect on:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

II Timothy 1:7 is a companion verse for this one.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

You can have fear, or you can have faith, love and a sound mind. Are we going to live in fear or love? True love casts out fear. If you live in love you will have a sound mind.

One of the ways to get to know strength in life is to life in faith. Trusting God.

Joshua said, "A for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." It's an unwavering trust that God is in control. Even if it is not ideal, I can trust God.

It's amazing to take one little verse and decide to live that truth out for the next six weeks. Here's one: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all."

Be a non-anxious presence with your family this week. Or at your place of work. People will notice.

The peace of God transcends all understanding.

* * * *
What are some of the anxious moments in your life right now? What is bringing anxiety to you? Terry closed by having us take a few moments to pray, to lay before the Lord our anxious concerns, with thanksgiving.

Our God is a God of hope. Let's trust Him.

We closed with the classic hymn Trust and Obey.

Fiduciam

"Good morning, everyone!" Pastor Terry While welcomed us and then dove right into announcements.

1) The Salvation Army is seeking socks, shoes and underwear for the needy. There's a barrel in the Fireside Room to collect items for giving.
2) We will be doing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes this Wednesday.
3) Saturday is a Covenant Park fund raiser dinner and auction Saturday at Salem Covenant Church from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
4) There will be a Thanksgiving Dinner here at the church for

An offering was taken, and then we spent time in prayer.

Fiduciam

This week was a good week to have discussions. We don't see eye-to-eye on some things, and it raises the question of how to walk hand-in-hand when we don't see eye-to-eye?
Also, how do we see a bigger picture than the one directly in front of us?
Political season brings some interesting moments. The thing that caught me by surprise was my pastoral friends that expressed things that demonstrated more fear than faith.

Do I believe God will take care of us, regardless of what goes on around us?
Is my faith in God or a political system?

If you want to have an impact, live your life out the way God has designed us to live our lives out.

It's worth remembering that very few Christians throughout history have had the privilege of living in a nation which is in accord with their beliefs and faith.

Terry asked us to take a few minutes for prayer for healing for our nation.

* * * *

Pastor White asked several youth to come forward to do a "trust fall." Then he called for a bunch of strong men to volunteer to become catchers. Four girls climbed the ladder to fall back into the arms of eight men.

This was to illustrate Ruthless Trust, which is the title of a book by Brennan Manning.

In Hebrews 11:6 it is written, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Do I really believe? Do I really trust? It is in those moments of falling that we find out if we have trust.

Falling is scary. The outcome is uncertain. We're vulnerable.

The starting point for the message was Luke 17:11-19, the story of a healing of ten men with leprosy. Leprosy is a scary disease. Terry explains the consequences of leprosy. Once the priest has pronounced that you have leprosy you must live outside town, must never be a participant in the affairs of life, must never be close to others.

The lepers called to Jesus from a distance because they were forbidden to draw near. Nevertheless, Jesus said to these men, "Go, show yourself to the priest," implying,"and on the way you will be healed." Which they were.

Only one returned to the Lord and thanked him.

We were then asked, "What goes on when fear overwhelms us and we don't trust God?"

Anxiety. Miss out on things. Lost. Get short with others. We try to control things. Lash out. Emotions override clear thought. Blame God.

When overwhelmed with fear, we say things we shouldn't.

What are some of the seemingly crazy things God asked people to do in Scripture?
Build an ark.
Sacrifice your son.
Walk around this fortified city seven times, then blow a horn.
Throw your nets on the other side of the boat.
etc.

We turned to Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith. (Read it!)

Faith is actually difficult. Do I trust God? Can I really trust Him?

Therefore... (Chapter 12)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Bottom line: Just do what God asks you to do. Do what these people did, and walk in a life of faith. Ask God, "Lord, what do you want from me?"

Terry closed with prayer and led us in the classic hymn, "My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less."

Bartimaeus

Today is Youth Sunday, a new tradition which we'll be conducting on the fourth Sunday of each month here at New Life Covenant. There are a lot of moving parts to the program and a lot of energy in the room as the church family and friends assemble for worship on a crisp but sunny day.

Pastor Brad welcomed us warmly and stated that his only announcement was that we would be our semi-annual meeting

Brad had us stand as he read the Gospel text for today's message, the story of a blind man named Bartimaeus as recorded in Mark 10:46-52. Then Brad and Darlene shared a song as an intro to a period of worship.

The congregation joined in a pair of songs and the youth sang a special song, "I Am Yours and You Are Mine." The congregation joined in again with "Open the Eyes of My Heart."

A ten-year-old named Grace played "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" during the offering, which stirred a strong response from the congregation afterwards.

Brooke then invited our youth to come forward and get recognition. This summer they went to Hancock and selected their favorite fabrics, which were then sewn into pillow cases for pillows to be placed in the church youth room. We dedicated the new youth room and the youth in our church family.

Bartimaeus

Brad began by noting that this man, a blind beggar, was a man going through a difficult season. And so many of us here today are likewise going through a difficult season. It could be your work, or marriage, or finances or physical suffering or depression... So many ways hardship can hit us.

But here is the story of Bartimaeus. It begins with Bartimaeus sitting by the side of the road as a large crowd goes by. These are not perfect conditions for reaching out to Jesus. The crowd could have been in the thousands, though we don't really know. What we do know is that the beggar was needy and it was indeed a crowd.

Brad stated that no matter the circumstances, the time to call out is always right now. Conditions are never perfect and will not become more perfect later.

A second note extracted from this story came in verse 47. The beggar could not see Jesus, but he heard that He was near, and he began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." He used what he had to reach out to Him. Concentrate on what you have.

Third, he played to an audience of one. He wasn't concerned with what others thought of him. The people around him rebuked him, but he shouted all the more. Don't worry what others think when calling out to God.

Sometimes when we're trusting or hoping or praying there are people who suck the faith out of you, people who tell us not to hope, that your prayers are useless.

Bartimaeus was alone, isolated, and others were saying just shut up. But he didn't listen to them.

Faith is sometimes embarrassing. Noah built a boat... and the neighbors made fun of him. But his trust was in God, and God had said to build an ark. He obeyed, and he was rewarded for his faith, along with his family.

God is alive, and He is active. And Jesus responds. Despite all the noise and chaos of the mob, Jesus hears the cry of this single blind beggar.

In verse 50 Bartimaeus throws his cloak aside to go to Jesus, and Brad suggests that the gospel writer did not put this detail in for no reason. Brad then asked what we have to throw aside. Is it pride? Bitterness? Whatever it is needs to be cast off.

In verse 51 Jesus asks what the man wanted. The blind man was honest and direct. "I want to see."

Jesus replied, "Your faith has healed you." And immediately he received his sight, whereupon he also began to follow Jesus.

* * * 

After the service we had a semi-annual meeting to address church business and approve the budget. 

Jesus Is Ready

Brad welcomed us warmly on a lovely, warm Sunday morning. Yesterday's car wash and rummage sale at Twig Town Hall raised a lot of money for the new building. May 31 we'll be worshiping across the street, and final prepping has been fun and exciting.

Announcements
1. "We enjoyed the semi-annual meeting so much that we are having another after the service today," Brad said. He wasn't kidding though. There has been an offer made on our current buildnig and we need to vote about whether to accept this offer.
2. Brooke excitedly shared that VBS is coming and the theme is Everest: Conquering Challenges with God's Mighty Power. An insert for Volunteer opportunities was included in today's bulletin. VBS will be June 15-18 this summer.

After a time of worship, during the offering,  Brooke came forward to share a video of what God is doing through our Covenant churches throughout the world. "We believe the local church is God's basic strategy to impact the world." 850 Covenant churches, 2.5 million people impacted. Brad wanted us to see where some of our resources go.

Jesus Is Ready

The message is based on the story of a simple woman who anointed Jesus' feet, found in Luke 7:36-50.

Brad began by noting that Jesus was always getting invited to parties. Jesus must have been likeable, fun to be with, Jesus was a blessing to be with because He loved people. That's who He was. People longed for His company.

Jesus enjoyed being in the presence of all kinds of people, including sinners and outcasts. This made religious leaders mad, but Jesus said, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but it's the sick."

In this story Jesus was at the house of Simon, a pharisee. It was crowded, with all kinds of smells. But at one point an uninvited woman showed up and came in, bringing yet another fragrance.

The Scripture describes her as a woman who was habitually immoral. Likely she was a prostitute.

So she hears that Jesus will be at this house and she shows up, though it is certain that she was not welcome. If you've ever been the victim of small town gossip you know what courage it took for this woman to show up here.

She showed up with an alabaster jar of perfume, and it is clear she had somehow met Jesus previously and had a powerful encounter with the Lord. It doesn't say who she was, but some say it may have been Mary Magdalene. When she arrives, she's here to explode with gratitude.

In His presence she comes unglued, tears pouring from her, sobbing. She falls at Jesus' unwashed feet, washing his feet with her tears. She undoes her hair and washes His feet, kisses His feet, then pours the contents of this jar onto His feet. The perfume fills the room with its fragrance.

As this woman does all this, Jesus doesn't say, "What's this woman doing here? What's going on here?" Rather, He was basking in the presence of a changed life.

Another smell in the room was the smell of judgmentalism. Simon sat there disgusted, thinking, "If this man were a prophet, He'd know what kind of woman this was." This woman was dirt.

In verse forty, Jesus responded to this man's thoughts. Jesus knows our thoughts, too. In response to Simon's thoughts Jesus tells a story.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Then..

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Jesus makes it clear it isn't her love that saved her. And He doesn't downplay the seriousness of sin. But her sins, which are many, have been forgiven. That's why she's crying. She knows she has been forgiven for so much. And you think you have so little to be forgiven for, and that's a trap all of us can fall into.

Simon knew the right words, but this woman understood profoundly the deeper truth behind these words: "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength."

What about you? Do you still find His grace amazing?

And your second question... how is your love for other people? Love is not a "strategy" for reaching the lost. We love people because God loves them.

We have to remember that we've not been forgiven for a little something. We've been forgiven for a lot.

When you know that you have been forgiven lavishly you begin to love lavishly.

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus has the power to clean any stain, to make pure any life. And we ourselves are made right with God when we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins.

The religious leaders grumbled, "Who is this who even forgives sin," but Isaiah already addressed this. "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

* * * *

Pam Johnson led a meeting after the service detailing the offer that was made. The offer for $95,000 is being voted on. The offer is contingent on the purchase of their home. This will be an "As Is" sale. The council is seeking freedom to negotiate a few items that were discuss. The vote was unanimous.

What Is Your Nineveh?

Summer is here for a few weeks and we're enjoying it. In his opening remarks Pastor Brad Shannon stated that he is starting a new series on the book of Jonah.

Announcements 
1. Brad mentioned that last week we unanimously voted to proceed with our church building project. When people ask what's happening, you no longer have say, “I’m not sure yet.” 
2. Aug 3, 9-Noon, Steve Berger is coming to conduct a seminar for everyone involved with Christian education

Chuck, Darlene, Brad and Carol led worship today and also sang Master of the Wind during our offering. “He can calm the storm, make the sun shine again; I know the Master of the wind.”

Scripture reading: Jonah 1

Pearl and Ruth Anne shared a drama, involving a seal, a chicken and a seashell… and a story about oceans, with a reference to Jonah. In the same way that we can listen to the ocean in a seashell, we can listen to God and obey Him.

What Is Your Nineveh?

Jonah 1:1 says “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah…”

Jonah was a prophet, not a priest. Priests served in the temple. Prophets are more of a thorn under the saddle for other people and they sometimes get around.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against them. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a cruel people of this time. Brad compared the people of Nineveh to Al-Quida or Nazi Germany. Not exactly the kind of place you want to go alone to preach against. Nineveh is located straight east of Israel. Jonah, however, headed west toward Tarshish. He was running from God.

Running from God is something we have all done. We know what God wants, but we don’t want to do it and we go another direction, to another place. This is our own personal Tarshish.

When he got on the boat Jonah paid a fare, indicating he had money. Tarshish was a different kind of city, a wealthy city, not a military city like Nineveh. Tarshish’s reputation for wealth might be similar to today’s Wall Street or perhaps Cayman Islands. The very name evokes money.

As the boat was en route, "the Lord sent a violent wind…” The actual word means “great.” Nineveh was a “great” city. The great God sent a great storm.

Even the professional sailors on the ship were nervous with this storm and started throwing things overboard. They were in a panic, and it says each one was praying to his own god.

Meanwhile Jonah was sleeping in the bottom of the boat. The captain shakes him awake. “What are you thinking? Get up and pray to your god.”

After drawing lots, the ship’s crew turns to Jonah. “What have you done?”

Jonah testified that the one true and “great” God was behind this. He does it reluctantly but as a necessity. Interestingly enough, Jonah’s failure is what brings these sailors to faith.

Ultimately Jonah tells the sailors that the only way to stop the storm is to throw Jonah overboard, but they do everything they can to avoid having to do this, out of compassion for Jonah. But the storm is too strong and finally they recognize they must yield. They look to God and pray that they will not beheld accountable for killing this man.

The pivot point here is that Jonah had reached his end and would rather die than keep running from God. As soon as he is thrown overboard the sea becomes calm.

There is always a price in running from God. 

In the end the sailors worship God. God was working in ways that Jonah could not even fathom. He was running from God yet God turned even this into an event for His own glory, redeeming Jonah's disobedience for a higher purpose.

"It’s never too late and never too soon to quit running from God," Brad said.

Wherever you're at, Jesus always has the same invitation: "Come running to Me.:

Afterwards we celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

Faith That Works

Brad opened the service with a recap of recent messages he's been giving on the themes Jesus alone and Grace alone, and last week's message by Elsa, The Glory of God alone. "The only way to understand grace is through faith," he said, add that someone asked him last week, "how good is good enough?"

So today the message would focus on looking at the meaning of this phrase, "faith alone."

Announcements  

There will be a clean up day the Saturday after Labor Day weekend. A binder with various categories of needs was passed around for helping with Sunday school, Nursery service, a Women's Bible study group that is starting, a Women's retreat and Wednesday night programs. Sign up to participate or help.

Gwen shared that Rally Day is Sept 9 and they will be making dirt pies to help sink home the message "Deepen your roots with us." Gwen is therefore seeking volunteers to make pies. Recipes will be provided.

Signe nee Armstrong stood and said, "I would like to praise God for this church and the new faces here." Signe and Peter were married here in this church forty years ago. She said is is wonderful to see God’s presence in this community and the work that is continuing on.

A time of worship followed, led by Brad. Afterwards tithes and offerings were taken. The Scripture reading today was from John 6:51-58  

Faith That Works

Pastor Brad gave a good sermon that addressed one of the most devisive issues in the history of the church, going back as far as the first disciples. The argument centers on faith. One group takes this position, “That’s true, you can’t earn being saved but we don’t want cheap grace. Saving faith includes the intention of following Jesus as Lord.”

The pushback comes from those who say, “You can’t say that because that add works to faith. No one is saved by works. We’re saved by faith alone. Grace plus nothing is what gets us saved.”

Brad used this morning's message to weigh in on his own opinion here. "If you are asking my opinion, both sides are misled," he said. "The problem with both groups is in the manner in which they define being saved. They focus on the minimum entrance requirements for heaven."

Brad asked, “When did Jesus set this as an option? Heaven is not where you want to be if you want only to do the minimum."

Saving faith is not about minimum entrance requirements. Saving faith is when you put total trust and confidence in God.

Another confusing thing in the matter is this: What is the relationship between faith and works?

Paul in several places cites Abraham as the father of our faith. In Romans 3:28 sums up his position thus, "For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law."

James, whose letter affirms a place for works and appears to disagree with Paul said this about Abraham in James 2:23... "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God’s friend."

The nature of faith that matters to God is faith that changes a life.

There is a difference between what I think I believe and what I actually believe. Brad pointed us to the story of Moses. When the plagues were done and Pharaoh gave Moses the go-ahead to lead his people to the Promised Land, the Israelites with one voice said they would follow Moses. But when they reached the Red Sea and were blocked in they complained, “Hey, weren't there enough graves in Egypt to bury us there?”

All too often we're the same. When things get shaky we discover what our real beliefs are.

Our core convictions are demonstrated by our behavior. We show that we believe gravity is real because we do not step off tops of buildings. Our behavior is the real barometer of our beliefs. If we claim to believe something and act differently, it’s apparent that our beliefs are not what we claim.

Martin Luther declared that faith cannot help but do good works. It is as impossible to separate faith from works as it is impossible to separate heat and light from fire.

So what do you do when you feel that you don’t trust God enough?

Brad read from Rom 4:1-3 and 16-21.

In the New Testament Abraham has been presented frequently as model of faith. In Genesis 12 God tells him to leave home, that his offspring will be a blessing for the entire human race.

And yet, in the very next chapter we find Abraham lying to Pharaoh to conceal the identity of his wife. Why did you do this thing if he had believed God's initial promise? In Genesis 20 Abraham again fails to trust God.

Brad tells the story of Abraham’s failings but then places this story into context of the day. This story did not depend on the largeness of Abraham’s faith. It depended on God’s promise. It’s better to put a little faith into a great God than great faith in a little God.

It’s not the quality of your faith that saves you. It is the object of your faith that saves you.

There has never been anyone like Jesus, the only worthy object of faith Don’t focus on the quality of your faith. Focus on the object of your faith, Jesus.

Must Not Despair

"Good morning. The first thing I’d like to say is Happy Mother’s Day," Pastor Brad announced. "When I was a child I tried to honor my mother but I didn’t fully appreciate the work involved in being a mother. I also want to thank the men for putting on an excellent breakfast." It was indeed Mother's Day.

Announcements

1. One more week of the youth selling stock to raise money for CHIC, a life changing youth event. The stockholders dinner is next Sunday at 6:00 pm.

2. Brooke announced that the Smith’s are expecting a baby and we’re having a baby shower June 3.

3. VBS related, Brooke said we can’t cook at the Town Hall, but if you would like to help prepare or serve, see Brooke for details.

4. Leadership council meetings take place on third Tuesday of each month, which is this week.

Darlene played a bright rendition of All Creatures of Our God and King, specially suited for this loveliest of spring days. We proceeded into a time of worship.

As an intro to the giving of tithes and offerings Brad mentioned that the capital campaign committee this past week and that the theme for this campaign is faithfulness. As we prepare for our giving we’re reminded that we have a God who is faithful, who spared nothing on our behalf.

After children 1-4 were dismissed for Children’s Church, Cheryl Borndal read to us from John 15:9-17. Before entering into a time of prayer Brad said, “That text Cheryl just read is one of my favorites. ‘Here’s my command: Love one another.”’Not a suggestion, a command.” This time of prayer and a duet by Brad and Darlene transitioned us to the sermon.

Must Not Despair

Brad began his message with a story about a submarine that sank. On board was a Russian sailor whose life was about to end and he wrote a two word message to his wife: “Mustn’t despair.”

In the last moments of life, all the scaffolding of our life gets stripped away. So what does your life consist of? If the final moment were here right now for you, what would you write as your last words?

The message today would be on Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, three young men with hearts full of hopes and dreams. And they, too, faced their last moments as they were about to be thrown into a fiery furnace because they would not compromise their faith.

Often the last message is a message of regret. Or a wish that we could stay around.

If these three men would just bend the knee to the king’s god, and compromise their faith they would not be in this spot. It was a life and death decision and they chose death. “The God we serve will is able to deliver us but even if He does not we will not serve your gods.“ 

The king was furious. First he tried to woo them, but when unable to persuade them he simply lost it and ordered that the intensity of the fire in the furnace be increased sevenfold.

To deliberately burn someone is one of the most inhuman ways to treat a person. Yet this was the fate these men faced voluntarily.

In verse 21 the clothes are described and would be mentioned again. The furnace was so hot that the flames even killed the men throwing the three young men into the furnace.

The writer wants us to understand that Nebuchadnezzar’s fury was so great he doesn’t even notice that his own men have been killed  in the act of throwing Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego into the fire.

Imagine this scene. Real people, carried to the furnace, with a mix of fear and faith… and expectation of suffering, and instead they end up unbound, walking around inside the fire.

In verse 24 Nebuchadnezzar leaps to his feet, shocked… because they threw three men into the fire, and he sees a fourth man in the fire with these three men. Thought the Bible never says explicitly, we know who it is. The world’s greatest small group meeting. Can you imagine what they said to each other. Perhaps Jesus told them how proud He was of them because they were faithful to the end. Who would have thought it that the names of these three men would still be talked about thousands of years later?

And I wonder what they said to the fourth man. Think about it, the thing that seemed like it would be the end of their lives became the greatest experience of their lives, the place where they met God.

Sometimes God rescues us before the furnace, but sometimes God chooses to simply meet us in the furnace. Jesus says, “I will meet you in the furnace. It’s going to look dark and scary, but don’t worry. I will be there if you are faithful.”

Picture the look on the faces of the governors and prefects. When the three men came back out, the hair on their head was not singed, their robes were not scorched. Suddenly, the king is amazed, and congratulates these men for being willing to give up their lives for their own faith. He shows them respect and lifts them up to new responsibilities

    

I wonder what the rest of their lives looked like. I wonder if when they were old whether they would get together and talk about that experience where they spent a few moments in the presence of the living God. Ironically, the furnace that looked like death turned out to be the safest place they could be.

I think today’s world is challenging because we so want a comfortable existence. Our prayer too often is for furnace avoidance. Paul later wrote about his thorn in the flesh, and three times prayed for its removal, but God said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Imagine this, whatever furnace you’re in…. picture God having a calendar with a note that said “10:00 a.m., meet Meshach, Shadrach and Abendigo in the furnace.”

Consider this… Instead of asking God for less heat, my prayer is that we would ask, “God, give me an opportunity to show my devotion to You.”

Think about how we get rattled over the littlest things. I’m telling you, I think God is calling us to a new level of relationship. Maybe God’s plan is to meet you in the furnace. Maybe we should not be praying for deliverance from the furnace. Following Christ has never been about having an easier life.

In closing Brad returned us to the last words of the sailor at the beginning of this message: "Mustn’t despair. God is here. Friends, this is our day. Let’s follow Christ."

All In

"Good morning," Pastor Shannon said in welcoming us this morning. "We’ve been through a week in which we celebrated one of the greatest days in the Christian year… the grave is empty! How did you do this week living in recognition of the power of the risen Christ?

And then, our traditional greeting... "Christ is risen."
And the congregation replied, "He is risen indeed."

Announcements
Capital campaign meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m.
Property committee meeting Tuesday evening.
Calendars available in the back if the sanctuary if you do not have internet access to the Church website where our activities are being documented.
Brooke also shared that for VBS this year over fifty kids are signed up and fifty volunteers have offered to help in various ways.
There will be a large New Life Rummage Sale the last Saturday in April. We can use help with advertising and setting up. Friday the 27th we'll be setting up, pricing, etc. from 9-5. There will be a special time for helpers to shop from 5 to 5:30 after everything is priced.

Darlene played Because He Lives for the introit, which was followed by a short time of worship. Before entering into worship Brad read to us from Ephesians 3:14-21.

Pete Wizneski of Gideons International was with us today to share with us about the work. Pete shared a story about soldiers who were too macho to accept free Bibles when they went overseas to war, but every single one accepted New Testaments when offered by the chaplain later after the bullets were flying. Not everyone can go into all the world to preach the Gospel but this is what the Gideons are about, bringing the Word to the nations and especially to places where there are no Bibles or where they are needed most.

The Gideons started in 1898 in Wisconsin. Tens of millions of Bibles given out this past year in prisons, colleges, and most countries throughout the world. The Gideons consider themselves an extension of our ministry. Pete came asking us to donate for Christ’s work and to plant seeds.

The offering was taken followed by a Scripture reading by Chuck, who first noted that we have a new cross, thanks to Bob Winship and Pastor Brad. He then read for us from John 20:19-31.

Brad took the pulpit and led us in a time of prayer on behalf of needs in our church family and community. He then commenced to preach today's sermon, a reflection on this passage about "doubting Thomas."

All In

2000 years ago, Scripture proclaimed that because of our moral failure, God became flesh to take our sin upon Himself. For our sin He was crucified... died, and was raised from the dead.

What does it mean to us that He is risen? “I have been asking myself this question all week in light of the brokenness of our world. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, what we are doing here in church is just a game."

Peter wrote, “Jesus is alive… and in God’s great mercy He has given us the possibility of a new birth into a living hope.” Our sins can be forgiven, no matter how bad we’ve blown it. Even though we don’t deserve it, we can be right with God. We don’t have to live as those who have no hope.

"There’s a difference between believing in God and believing God. Even demons believe there’s a God." Brad noted that there are three kinds of believers.

Casual believer
The casual believer says, “I believe in God, I’m a good person. I didn’t kill anybody. I do a ton for the community.” They believe in God but it doesn’t change their lives.

Convenient believer.
If it helps you get the contract, if it helps you close the deal, or get the date... if it helps you, is advantageous for you, you may be in this category. Serving is inconvenient. Giving is, too. 30% of church attenders neither serve nor give.

Committed believer
The third category is the committed believer. The committed believer understands that life is not all about me. It’s not about my needs. "My greatest purpose is to reflect God’s glory in the world. My life is to glorify God."

So we looked again at the story of Thomas. Brad noted the significance of rabbis in ancient Israel.
Rabbis were teachers. It was a very special privilege to be selected by a rabbi to be a disciple. Jesus was a rabbi, which is why when Jesus called him, Thomas immediately threw down his fishing nets and followed. This was a great honor for Thomas. But when Jesus was crucified Thomas bailed.

Elements of Thomas’s story… Thomas had questions. Even the most committed Christ-followers in this room have had doubts. After Jesus was risen, Thomas was not among those who had seen Him and when he was told of this he replied, “Unless I touch Him, unless I see for myself I won’t believe it.”

Thomas was saying, “I have to know for myself. If I am going to commit my life to this, I need to see it to believe it.” It was an important point in his life and he needed a greater certainty.

So, why are you here? Are you here because your spouse is here? Because you inherited it like a tradition?

Many people ask questions… why? Why am I here? Is Jesus really the only way to God?

If you have doubts, you need to sincerely seek God for answers. Jesus can handle our doubts.

"God doesn’t always give you what you want, but He gives you what you need," Brad affirmed.

The disciples were locked in a secret room in hiding, for fear of the Romans. Unexpectedly, Jesus came to where they were gathered and said, “Peace be with you.” This was a supernatural peace… for all time. God speaks and it is. But Thomas was not there. And when he was told about the incident he famously doubted.

But a week later, Jesus returned and Thomas was there with the disciples. And here, Jesus gave Thomas what he needed. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

As you seek Him, God will give you exactly what you need to believe.

Brad shared a story from his freshman year in college. He didn’t know if he was going to make it. Then God gave Brad exactly what he needed. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." Eph 2:8,9

You can be right with God, not by your own efforts. God was so real in my doubts and questions… That text changed my life. God worked in me in a significant way. I needed to be broken. I needed to be humbled. I needed faith.

Doubt, discovery, belief.

Thomas' response was recorded in John 20:28. “My Lord and my God.” As if to say “You will be the center of my life from now on. I will never renounce Christ.”

Thomas, tradition has indicated, later went to India spreading the Gospel for the next twenty years and was later martyred for his faith.

Where are you at? Are you a casual believer? Convenient believer? Step across the line to commitment. Embrace a new life…

Jesus said, "if you want a part of My kingdom, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.”

If the resurrection is true it demands our whole life. This is not a game. We’re not just playing church. He is alive.

Under Authority

The Shannons took a welcome vacation this past week, so Leonard Armstrong served as our stand in for the sermon. Brad himself was back to lead the service and welcomed us warmly. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Announcements
1. The Harvest Festival is coming quickly, September 11. It is an important piece of our yearly calendar, letting the community know that God's love is free. Volunteers are still needed for various tasks. And be sure to invite your friends.
2. Volunteers for the nursery and for Sunday school can sign up on the sheets in the back or the sanctuary. Thank you to all who are able to contribute their time in this manner.

After a time of worship and the offering, Brad read to us from Matthew 16:21-28. The many needs in our congregation were lifted up in prayer. Leonard then took the podium to give the message.

Under Authority

Leonard began by thanking us for letting him speak in the church he was carried into, which gave us a chuckle. On a more serious note he followed this with the observation that while Christian faith is an individual matter, it is something we live out together.

The springboard passage for today's message was Luke 7:1-10, the story about the faith of the centurion.

Leonard began by explaining the concept of "conversational bias" which is essentially our tendency to not understand what we are hearing or reading because of the psychological grid through which we perceive and interpret things. Sometimes this colors the way we read the Scriptures.

In this passage a centurion whose valued servant was ill and about to die sent some Jewish elders to Jesus to heal the man. Jesus headed over to the centurion's house, but while still on the way some friends of the centurion came out to relay a message to Jesus. He said that he wasn't worthy to have Jesus come to his house, but knowing that Jesus like himself was under authority, Jesus could just say the word and his servant would be healed.

Jesus was amazed at this centurion's understanding of faith. It is one of two places where Jesus was amazed, the other being an incident in which He was amazed at a lack of faith.

Centurions were part of the Roman legion, and not popular in Israel. He would have been the equivalent of a company commander in our own military, with a hundred men under him. He, being under Roman authority knew how authority worked and that Jesus was under authority.

What does authority mean? To answer this Leonard directed us to Ephesians 5:22ff, where Paul writes about the relationship between husbands and wives.

The passage is controversial, but is also used outside the manner intended. Recently Michele Bachmann was asked in an interview if she would submit to her husband while president because the Bible says to do so here. Leonard noted that a similar red herring was raised when John F. Kennedy ran for president. Would his allegiance be to America or the Pope?

We were reminded to keep the context in mind. In the Roman world it really was a man's world. Women had no rights. To a remarkable extent this passage demands that husbands love their wives. She is important. And the notion that wives respect their husbands follows. Interestingly, this difference between the genders is relevant to this day. Women want to feel loved, men want to feel respected.

The notion of submission to authority did not apply strictly to this marriage relationship, it was part of something much larger. The crusty old centurion understood this. Jesus was here under authority. And had he been acquainted with it later, he would have understood what Paul wrote in Philippians 2 about Jesus...

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Leonard, who himself spent 25 years in the military in one capacity or another, understood the nature of authority, as did that centurion whose faith so amazed Jesus. Jesus was a man under authority, and we ourselves need to be under His authority.

The sermon was seasoned with many anecdotes not conveyed here, but gave a good flavor to the "meal."

It's Worth The Battle

A lot of people were surprised at how crispy cold it was this morning when they awoke. The cold only served to make our little country church feel especially warm as we gathered for worship today.

Pastor Brad welcomed us in with his heart "Good morning!" and went straight into announcements which included this afternoon's Christmas program at 4:00. There will be no board meeting Tuesday in order to free up time at this busy season. Next Sunday there will be no Sunday School.

Today is the third week of Advent. The Montgomerys -- Tracey, Ali and Morgan -- lit the Advent candles and read several passages from Scripture about the coming of the Messiah, of one would would be called "God with us."

An introit by Darlene preceded a heartfelt song of worship by Chuck, Ellie and Darlene which led us into worship.

After the offering and a time of prayer, Gwen sang Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, a Christmas classic that never fails to move. Brad then brought us the message.

It's Worth The Battle

A placid, sweet Nativity scene was projected onto a screen for us as the starting point for today's sermon. We sometimes forget that the people we read about in Scripture are really people like us, people who have struggles and issues to overcome. The love we see in our images of the birth of Jesus is not something that just happened naturally. There were battles that had to be fought in order to achieve this moment of warmth and harmony.

1st Battle: The Battle for Righteousness

The first battle is a battle for personal integrity. Though we are all familiar with the story, Brad read to us again the account from the Gospel of Matthew.

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

In those days, engagements were a very public matter. For this reason it was even more challenging for Joseph when his bride-to-be notified him that she was inexplicably pregnant. The two had chosen to maintain a holy stance until the wedding, and now she was pregnant and he knew this was not a child of his loins.

Brad noted here that obviously Joseph and Mary had kept their relationship pure during the time of their engagement, otherwise he might not even have known this was not his child. Brad asked, "Do you think God would have chosen Joseph and Mary had they not fought that battle for personal righteousness? Would we even know who they were today had they not fought to have a clear conscience before God?

As the Psalmist stated in Psalm 1:

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

We were urged to be like David who wrote, "Lord, search me and know my heart so that if there is any wrong in me I can make it right." (paraphrase)

The fruit of a good conscience is freedom, joy, and peace that passes understanding.

2nd Battle: The Battle for Graciousness

When you put yourself in Joseph's shoes it is not hard to imagine what his reactions might have been when he learned that Mary was with child. You can be sure Joseph struggled over this. Rage, hurt, feelings of betrayal were undoubtedly stirred. After battling all these feelings, he chose in the end to be gracious. Rather than put her up to public ridicule, he "decided to divorce her quietly."

Joseph didn't act on whatever his first impulses might have been. Rather, he opened his heart to God and for God's help to gain a different perspective.

Brad brought this to out attention because today in many of our Christmas gatherings we will be with people who have hurt us. Yes, we may have been hurt, but how long do we make them pay for having hurt us? When does the cycle of meanness cease?

God responded to Joseph's heart anguish and prayers, and showed Joseph in a dream that Mary had indeed been pure and the child was from God.

Battle 3: The Battle for Trust

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

There comes a time when we have be willing to live by faith and not sight. Joseph was asked to trust a lot. That the baby was from God and not a secret lover was a big one. He had to trust that taking Mary as his wife was not going to backfire on him later. And here he is asked to name the baby Jesus, which means "God with us," the one who is going to save us from our sins. In his conservative rural town there were probably some people who might have gone ballistic upon hearing this. But Joseph trusted God in this, too.

We ourselves have trust battles. We trust that the Christmas story is true. We believe in the miraculous birth, and that He died on a cross for our sins. And that He rose again from the dead and has continued to reach out to our fallen world ever since. Do you believe all this?

If the Bible's account of the birth of Jesus teaches us anything, it's that our Christian faith is work. They fought battles that were not easy. Yet in the heat of battle, they felt the Spirit of God helping them along the way.

So it is with us today.