Category: all Sunday rest 2014
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday December 28th, 2014
Dear Friends of Jesus,
This is the last Sunday of 2014 and I have caught up on the blogs so I can finish Revelation in three more days on schedule! We began in Genesis with man created by God on the sixth day of creation. As we come to the concluding chapters of Revelation, the earth is to be renovated by fire and a new heaven and new earth will come forth. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven and be the eternal dwelling place of man with God. There will be no more sin, crying, pain, death or Devil! God will make everything new!
Spend time today with the people of God and reflect on these things. Prepare your hearts for His coming again and share the Gospel will those you God puts in your life. The best is yet to come!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Scripture reading for December 21st: 3rd John
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3rd John 2
John opens his letter with a greeting to his personal friend, Gaius, and a short prayer for him. Prayer should shape everything we do. It is an act of love coming from a soul that is healthy and focused on God’s will and desire to love and bless others. This short prayer reveals John’s heart for his friend and blesses him and us today, as well!
“It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3rd John 3-4
Our reputation gets around in the church. If we are faithful and walk in the truth, everyone knows about it. Faithfulness brings great joy to God and to those in authority in the church. Those in authority have to give an account to the Lord for those they oversee. (Hebrews 13:17) When pastors talk to the Lord about those who are disobedient and unfaithful, it brings sorrow and painful intercession! Gaius had been walking in the truth and blessing visiting missionaries by providing for their needs. He demonstrated Christ’s love to those preaching the gospel and was commended!
“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3rd John 9-10)
Diotrephes was one of those brothers that was causing pain to the Apostle and others in the body of Christ. A bad reputation also spreads around and must be dealt with. If the person will not change and repent after confrontation, others in the church must be warned so that they are not caught up in the sins. This letter shows how John was doing this. He wanted to come personally and deal with the situation, and would soon if he could.
This short letter shows us how our personal attitudes and actions affect others and are known in the body of Christ. Leaders must have a good reputation. When you love to be first like Diotrephes, this selfishness causes troubles and indicates that you are not from God. (3rd John 11) If you are a loving servant, like Gaius and Demetrius (3rd John 12), you show by your love that Christ’s love and truth is in you! It’s pretty simple really! There’s no greater joy for a pastor than to have God’s people walking in truth and love!
Sunday Rest and Reflection!
Scripture reading for December 14th: Hebrews 8-10
I love new things! Sometimes old things are nice to collect, but new things are better because they have all the latest technology. But sometimes this shift to new is difficult for us because we are set in our ways. This is what happened to many Jewish believers in the time of the letter to the Hebrews.
The old covenant had laws and regulations for those who broke those laws. The old covenant had promises for those who obeyed and warning for those who didn’t. Moses was the mediator of the old covenant and Aaron and the Levites were the high priest and priesthood. These were men who had failings themselves and eventually died. The old covenant had a mobile tabernacle carried by the Levites, and God could only be visited at prescribed times by certain people. Only Aaron the high priest could go into where God’s dwelling was in the Holy of Holies.
Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant. He revealed it to us by His life, teaching, and sacrificial death on a cross. He was God’s Son, not just a servant. He was perfectly obedient to the old covenant while here on earth and then became the sacrifice for laws broken under the old covenant.
His sacrifice was better because His body and blood were without sin. He offered Himself once for all to put away sin. (Hebrews 9:14) He lives forever and is able to be a perfect high priest of a different order, that of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:20) He can identify with us because He was a man and experienced our temptations. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
When we trust in Christ, God gives us a new heart and sends His Spirit to live in us. (Hebrews 8:10-12) We become priests of the new covenant here on earth! Our sins are forgiven and erased from God’s memory. We become the new dwelling place of God. As children of God, we can come to Him any time with our needs and find help and comfort.
New Covenant people love to gather together and encourage each other. We know Jesus Christ is coming soon! We want to reach as many as possible with the Good News of the New Covenant before Christ appears! (Hebrews 10:19-25) Don’t hold onto the old, embrace the New Covenant!
The King Eternal!
Saturday December 6th, 2014
The passage for today is Paul’s letter to Timothy chapters 1-3. Timothy was a young pastor, mentored by Paul, who was a pastor at the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote to encourage him and instruct him in basic pastoral leadership.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:15-17
” I urge then, first of all that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:1-5
“Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body; was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” 1st Timothy 3:16
Paul stood in awe of Jesus Christ, the “King Eternal”! Paul knew Jesus Christ as “God our Savior” and the only mediator between God the Father and mankind. Jesus came in a human body, was crucified and raised from the dead. He is now preached among all nations and is believed on in the world. He was taken up in glory and will come again! This is the Gospel Paul preached!
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday November 23rd, 2014
Dear Friends,
I am so thankful for the cross of Jesus Christ! The cross is where our Lord gave His life that we might have eternal life! It is a place where my sins were punished, once for all time! It speaks of God’s great love for us! Even while we were sinners, Christ died for us! The cross is empty now–and the One who died there has risen from the dead! He still bears the marks of crucifixion to remind us of His great love and sacrifice and to call us to the same kind of love for Him and others.
Please join with God’s people this Sunday and worship our Lord! What a joy to gather with redeemed people and spend time in worship, prayer, and hearing His word! God bless you abundantly!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday November 16, 2014
Dear Friends,
Sharing Jesus with others by sharing our testimony brings overcoming power to our lives. Many Christians never share their experiences with Christ and miss out on the blessing this brings to them as well as others. Gather today with God’s people to refocus your life on Jesus Christ and have a personal encounter with Him in worship, prayer and the Word! It will be the best decision of your life!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday Rest and Reflection!
Sunday November 8th, 2014
Dear Friends,
As we enter the Thanksgiving season, it is good to reflect on all that God has blessed us with! His provisions have been wonderful and salvation will bring us joys beyond our ability to imagine! We live in a nation that has religious freedom and abundant food. We have ability to communicate and travel as we please. We have access to information that others around the world would not believe.
But there are great needs in our world too! People are hungry and children are starving in some places. Many are homeless and wander about looking for shelter and hope. War ravages many parts of our world and plagues are taking lives as well. The signs of the end of the age are all around us. It is time to be diligent in our relationship with God. Gather with God’s people to worship and pray! Lift your heads to heaven looking for our Lord’s soon return! The best is yet to come!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday November 2nd, 2014
Dear Friends of Jesus,
Harvest is nearly in and the season of Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Of course, for Christians, each day is a day of thanksgiving for the grace we receive from our relationship with our Lord Jesus! We enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Gather with God’s people today and offer thanks to Jesus for His marvelous salvation! Remember His broken body and shed blood as we partake of Holy Communion. Never forget His love for you and me and His promise to return and take us to be with Him! Today could be that day!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday October 26th, 2014
Dear Friends,
I am so thankful to be able to meet with others of Christ’s family! It is an honor to gather to worship Jesus Christ and hear His Word! We must live by faith in the times that try our souls and faith comes by hearing God’s Word! Let’s honor our Lord by gathering today! A Sabbath rest in Christ is a mark of God’s people. We rest one day and worship with His people! See you in church!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday October 19th, 2014
Dear Friends,
Jesus honors faith! He spoke the Word of God to birth faith in His followers and empower them to move mountains to His glory! Without faith we cannot please Him! Faith works by love.
God’s people gather on the first day of the week to celebrate the love of God in Jesus Christ. We gather to pray, worship and hear the Word proclaimed. We demonstrate our love for God by obedience. We gather to speak to mountains of sickness, bondage, and unforgiveness and watch them be thrown into the sea of God’s grace! Don’t miss out on what God is doing! Your gathering today with God’s people is an act of faith that pleases God!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary