Christmas Day

DECEMBER 25, 2016

    “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:14-18

    Today Christians around the world are celebrating the Incarnation.  I’ve attempted to understand the great mysteries of that moment in history when God became a man, without giving up His divinity. How can that happen? I’m not sure that any human mind has the capacity to “figure it out.” I believe that it is a truth that lies outside human intellect and logic. Yet the record is very clear about who Jesus Christ was and is. He was God forever in our past, and He will be God forever in our future. Yes, beyond any doubt the declaration of Scripture is that God “became flesh and dwelt among us!”   
    The Apostle Paul described it this way: “Though He (i.e. Jesus Christ) was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made Himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.” (Philippians 2:6, 7) The message is that He became one of us! God wanted to be near us and fellowship with us, so He came to us! Remember that God had been “with” His people throughout history. He dwelt in their midst in the Tabernacle. He led them through the wilderness and delivered them from many enemies. He was “with” them, yet there always remained a “separation” that kept them from intimacy with Him. In the Incarnation God removed all the barriers and came to be “with” us in a very special and new way. You and I might not be able to mentally understand all the mysteries of that great move of God toward mankind, yet each of us can experience it personally.  
    The real purpose of His Incarnation is for you and me to “know” Him as our closest friend and companion. He wants to actually “draw near” to each of us! Welcome Him into your life today!
 
 
Merry Christmas to all,
    Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 18, 2016

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8
 
   Welcome to Needmore Bible Church as we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  As we light the candle today, we will be focusing on the theme of love.  We are here today because of God’s love for us. None of us would have the right to be here without it. In fact, none of us would even be able to comprehend why we should be here without it. We would be lost in darkness, destroyed by our own sins. And so, our goal this morning is to worship God for His love. All our standing and singing, our praying and giving, and our learning and obeying is our response of exuberant gratitude for God’s love.  As we think of God’s love and what He was willing to give and to suffer to be with us, consider these words from Gregory of Nazianzus:
   He prays, but he hears prayer. He weeps, but he causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for he was man; but he raises Lazarus, for he was God. He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver, but he redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price was his own blood. As a sheep he is led to the slaughter, but he is the shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. As a lamb he is silent, yet he is the Word and is proclaimed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He is bruised and wounded, but he heals every disease and every infirmity. He is lifted up and nailed to the tree, but by the tree of life he restores us, yes, he saves even the robber crucified with him. … He dies, but he gives life, and by his death, he destroys death. He is buried, but rises again; he goes down into hell, but he brings up the souls; he ascends to heaven and shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

Let us worship God today!

 Your brother,
    Pastor Aaron

 

 

 

 

The Third Sunday in Advent

December 11, 2016

    “…At the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith- the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:7c-8

   There are certain characteristics of Jesus’ life that are specifically mentioned and described in the New Testament. One of the very obvious traits is how Jesus loved people and cared about them. Most of His activities recorded in the scriptures are demonstrations of His active compassion toward hurting people and the miracles He produced to help them. One verse even records “See how much He (ie. Jesus) loved him!” (John 11:36) While it is true that Jesus was the embodiment of loving concern for hurting people, He seldom spoke the words, “I really love you.” At least there are no records in the New Testament of Jesus verbally declaring that He was “all about love.”

   One interesting comment that Jesus made about Himself indicates that He was a person of joy. There are probably few people who would deny that Jesus was a joyful person, yet joy is probably not the first characteristic of Jesus that would come to one’s mind. With all the seriousness of His mission and all the problems He faced and ministered to, it is easy to overlook the fact of Jesus’ joy. In the Upper Room as He was preparing His disciples for the ensuing passion of His death, burial and resurrection, followed by His return to heaven, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) It should be clear that Jesus declared He had joy! He didn’t explain it or expound it, He simply stated a fact that His disciples would have understood. They must have observed, experienced its manifestation, and perhaps even envied His joy.

   The good news is that Jesus promised that His joy could be in the lives of His disciples, and it could be a “full” joy. Joy is listed as a primary characteristic of the Holy Spirit’s fruit in the lives of believers. May every one of us be reminded of the “good tidings of great joy” given to the shepherds when Jesus Christ was born.

Let’s seek the joy of Jesus,

Pastor Doug

 
 
 
 

 

The Second Sunday in Advent

DECEMBER, 4, 2016

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his feet.”

Genesis 3:15*

Welcome to Needmore Bible Church! Today we gather in the hope that God will make good on His promise to bring everlasting PEACE!

Our Advent devotionals have been showing that God planned from the very beginning to send Jesus to conquer sin, Satan, and death, and to bring us salvation! At Christmas time, we celebrate Jesus’ first arrival on Earth. He came as a baby and lived a perfect life. He taught us what God’s kingdom looks like and showed us its power through His miracles. His death and resurrection were orchestrated from the very beginning to bring us PEACE!

Today we celebrate the PEACE that He brings. It’s a PEACE that starts now and lasts forever! The moment a person believes in Jesus and applies His salvation to their lives, they are at PEACE with God. Their sins have been forgiven. Their guilt has been taken away. They are united and brought into a PEACE with all others in the Church.

But in this world, we still experience trials, tribulations, hardships, and conflicts. Yet we know that this is not the end. With every trial we long more and more for the full and complete PEACE that we will experience in heaven. With every conflict we desire more and more the perfect love that we will give to and receive from all our brothers and sisters as we live forever in God’s perfect kingdom.

            Today we meet and encourage each other that this life in this world is temporary, and that we are actually citizens of a greater kingdom and a perfect world to come!

            May God grant you the blessing of walking in that hope today!

 

Your brother,

Aaron

 

*This verse is taken from Day 1 of our Advent devotional. If your family has not already received a copy, make sure to pick it up today!

 

 

 

 

 

The First Sunday in Advent

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

     “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save….But your iniquities have separated you from your God….The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one (no man), He was appalled that there was no one (no man) to intervene; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him.” Isaiah 59:1, 2, 15-16

 

As we enter the Christmas season, we need to be reminded that all the “stuff” and “activities” that go on during this time are results of the coming of The Savior into this world. It will be of great benefit to us if we put forth an effort to maintain our “focus” on The Reason for the season. Our celebrations shared with family, friends and fellow believers will be more meaningful, more joyous and less stressful as we give continual attention to the birth of Jesus Christ. Throughout the “programs” and fellowship of Needmore Bible Church, a concentrated attempt will be made to proclaim and rejoice in the “Good News of great joy” that God sent to this world through the birth of His Son. We want to encourage each family to “make the most” of the available resources provided at NBC. One of those resources is a hard-bound copy of

The Expected One, an advent devotional for the twenty five days between December 1 and December 25. There are Bible verses, a brief reading and some “Review & Reflect” questions to help foster thought and conversation about the advent of Jesus Christ. This little booklet is a gift for each household (one per household, please) to be used during this season to assist in keeping our collective focus on the real purpose for this wonderful season of the year.

 

Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote about Isaiah 59 and 53 and explained how God has provided the salvation that we all need. “Now a lamb being led to the slaughter is completely unlike Zeus with his lightning bolt. This passage has transformed my understanding of the power of God. When I realized what it was saying, I found myself thinking that God had looked at the world in its sin and declared, ‘If I cannot find one person to bring salvation, than the only thing I can do is become one of them.’

     “Consequently, there was a baby conceived in a virgin’s womb, there was an infant born in a stable, and there was a boy raised in a carpenter’s shop. And eventually, there was a Savior for all the world.”

 

Let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 20, 2016

   “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

 

There is a predominant message throughout all the teachings of Jesus concerning the nature of God. He repeatedly used words and illustrations that communicate the truth that God is a very loving and perfect Father. Jesus passionately declared to those who heard Him that they should trust God because of His caring nature. He wants us all to know and realize that God loves individuals. He loves them in spite of their moral imperfections and sinfulness. He proves that love by giving good things to all, including those who have cursed His name. Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

 

Jesus also taught that because God loves us as the perfect Father in heaven, we must learn to pray and be confident that He will answer with only “good” answers. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask.” (Matthew 7:11) There should be no question about whether God would ever mistreat us or do something harmful to us. We can trust Him with our very lives! We must trust Him with our eternal souls!

 

     “God calls us into the joys and reality of eternal life. He calls us into purity of life and spirit, so that we may acceptably walk with Him. He calls us into a life of service and usefulness that brings glory to Himself as God. He calls us into the sweetest fellowship possible on this earth- the fellowship of the family of God!

     “If God takes away from us the old, wrinkled, beat-up dollar bill we clutch so desperately, it is only because He wants to exchange it for the whole federal mint, the entire treasury! He is saying, ‘I have in store for you all the resources of heaven. Help yourself!’”   -A. W. Tozer

 

We can trust our loving Heavenly Father. Are we?

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

 SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 13, 2016

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!”  Psalm 105:1-3

 

Nobody enjoys attending a “dead” church service. It’s just no fun at all, not that church has to be “fun,” but it surly ought to have a “little spark” to it. Probably the biggest influence on the church service is the “crowd” itself. If the people come excited, the service will be exciting. If the people come discouraged and listless, the service will probably not have any vim or energy. How might we prepare ourselves to come to church with some “excitement”?

 

Mr. A. W. Tozer observed that the condition of the church in his day (the middle of the last century) was not very healthy. She was in fact in a “depressed” state of affairs.

     “As Christian believers, we stand together in the evangelical faith- the historical faith of our fathers. Yet, we must confess that many congregations seem bogged down with moral boredom and life weariness.

     “The church is tired, discouraged, and unastonished- Christ seems to belong to yesterday.

     “The prophetic teachers have projected everything into the dim future where it is beyond our reach- unavailable! They have dispensationalized us into a state of spiritual poverty- and they have left us there!

     “But regardless of such teachers, the course of spiritual victory is clear; let us trust what the Word of God continues to say to us!

     “The scriptures are open and plain. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. He is our great High Priest, alive and ministering for us today. His person, His power, and His grace are the same- without change, yesterday, today, and forever!”

 

We serve the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We serve the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One Who said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) God remains in the delivering business. He also remains in the blessing business. Let’s look up to Him, and open our mouths wide so He can fill them. David wrote that He “…satisfies your mouth with good things, so that you youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5)

 

Excited with anticipation,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 6, 2016

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know….Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.” Jeremiah 33:3, 9

 

There are many wonderful promises that God has spoken and recorded in His Word. It is His delight and pleasure to fulfill those promises in the lives of His children. In fact, God wants to bless His believing children in such a way that the world will notice and be impressed with His goodness to His children. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.” (See Eph. 1:15-21.) Peter wrote, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers…” (II Peter 1:3, 4)

 

     “Did you know that it is possible for a Christian believer to live day by day, clutching the book of Ephesians, and still not realize that he is spiritually lean and hungry?

     “Holding the text of the will is not enough. It is necessary to come into the possession of the riches. Suppose a rich man dies, leaving a will which passes on all of his millions to his only son. That boy borrows the text of the will from the attorney and carries it around with him. He is satisfied with the text of the will, but it has never been properly executed. Thus the son has never presented his legitimate claims to the inheritance.

     “He may be going around ragged, hungry, and weak. In actual experience he has received nothing. He simply holds the text of his father’s will!”  -A. W. Tozer

 

God wants us to be partakers of our inheritance and enjoy His blessings today!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

Sunday, October 30, 2016

We come to worship the God who heals!

 

“On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath… He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was completely restored.”                                  Luke 6:6-7, 10

 

Welcome to our gathering for worship today! We all come with many things on our minds, but may this passage remind us where our priorities should be.

            The Pharisees were guilty of putting the cart before the donkey. God created the rule of the Sabbath to bless people, to give them a day of rest when they could focus on their relationship with Him. But the way the Pharisees emphasized it, they were hurting people instead of helping them.

            For some reason this seems like an easy trap for us humans to fall into. Things that originally were meant as tools to bless people end up become the main objective. Instead of the tool serving the people, the people serve the tool. We work hard at a job to provide for our family only to find out later that our family is suffering because of all the overtime spent on the job. We start a new program to reach out to the lost, but years later we find ourselves taxed to keep the program running and we’ve lost all focus of the people we’re trying to reach. Our priorities always seem to drift away from people. Instead of serving the Church (people), we serve the church (building and programs).

            But God’s priority is people. They were the pinnacle of His Creation. They were the focus of His master plan of redemption.

            As we gather together today, let us turn the focus back to our relationships with others and with our God.

 

Your brother,

Aaron Meredith

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 23, 2016

“Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’ And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:27, 28

 

Many believers hunger for the manifestation of the Gospel’s power to transform lives. Many have grown weary of experiencing the “same old thing” in church, and watching lives ruined by sin continue in the same patterns of brokenness and pain. Multitudes of Christians know that Jesus declared Isaiah was talking about Him when he wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Isaiah 61:1, 2; Luke 4:18, 19) Jesus even declared that these words were (and are) fulfilled through His ministry. The New Testament reveals that Jesus indeed healed broken lives and made people whole with His power. Many of us who believe that Jesus lives today want to see His power manifested by transformed lives just as they were in the first century.

 

Vance Havner wrote, “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.” This is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that they would “…receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me” throughout the entire world. (See Acts 1:8.) It’s the same idea when Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they might know “…what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked when He raised Jesus from the dead.” (Ephesians 1:19, 20) Paul reassured the Philippians that God “…works in you (and all believers) both to will and to do His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) We must grab hold of these promises of God by faith. We must begin to expect the manifestation of God’s power at work in and through our lives. We must begin to expect that God is going to heal, deliver, and make broken people whole in this present world.

 

I believe that God is going to transform lives, and we will “see” it happen!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 16, 2016

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:17,23, 24

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”                               I Corinthians 10:31

 

For anyone who has heard much New Testament, gospel preaching and teaching, it probably is understood that a life of faith involves all that the believer does. It is likely that the challenge to be more than “a-Sunday-only-Christian” has been heard more than once by all those who have spent much time in church. The two verses above certainly make that challenge an appropriate one. The important result is that a life that’s lived in and by faith becomes richly blessed. It becomes a life that contains joy, love and peace. Mr. Tozer wrote the following testimony.

 

     “Is is my experience that the totality of our Christian lives- our entire attitude as persons- must be toward the worship of God!

     “If you do not know the presence of God in your office, your factory, your home, than God is not in the church you attend either!

     “I became a Christian when I was a young man working in a tire factory in Akron, Ohio. I remember my work there- but I remember my worship there too! I had plenty of worshipful tears in my eyes. No one ever asked me about them, but I would not have hesitated to explain them.

     “You can learn to use certain skills until they are automatic. I became so skillful that I could do my work and then I could worship God even while my hands were busy.

     “If the love of God is in us and the Spirit of God is breathing praise within us, all the musical instruments in heaven are suddenly playing in full support! Even our thoughts become a sanctuary in which God can dwell.”

 

Let’s use all of our faculties to praise the Lord!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 9, 2016

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His greatness! …Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:1, 2, 6

The God we serve is wonderful! He is not only limitless in His power and might, but He is limitless in His creativeness. What He has made does produce enjoyment for those who can look at it with an enlightened understanding. I love what I read last week from Mr. A. W. Tozer.

 

     “I am thankful I have found a promise from the God of all grace that deals with the ‘long term’ and the eternal. I belong to a body of plain people who believe the truth revealed in the Bible. These are the people who believe that God in the beginning made the heavens and the earth and all things that are therein.

     “Yes, these plain, believing people will tell you that God created the flowers to be beautiful and the birds to sing, so that men and women could enjoy them. We believe that God made the birds to warble and harmonize as though they were tuned to a harp.

     “But the scientist disagrees, saying, ‘It is simply biological. The bird sings only to attract a mate.’

     “Actually, the God who made the birds is the Chief Musician of the universe. He made the harps in those little throats and said, ‘Go and sing!’ Thankfully, the birds obeyed, and they have been singing and praising God ever since they were created!”

Only sin can mar and distort the beauty that God created. You and I were created to be as beautiful as God Himself. (Remember that we are created in the very image of God!) We are the most beautiful when we are free from our sin and in that state we praise the God who made and has redeemed us. Actually, the physical creation is groaning as it waits for the “revealing of the sons of God.” (See Romans 8:19-22.) All of God’s creation is watching to see if we will praise God; if we will sing the song that we were created to sing!

 

I want to praise Him!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

World-wide Communion Sunday

October 2, 2016

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6

 

Believers have one ultimate purpose that should supersede all other motives, yet it should influence and be a part of every other activity in their lives. Believers are to “be like Jesus.” Paul wrote that all children of God are to be “conformed to the image of His Son,” Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:29) Peter wrote that Christ has left believers “…an example, that you should follow His steps.” (I Peter 2:21) Believers were first called “Christian” as a put-down because it meant “little christs.” Followers were behaving and acting like Jesus Christ. Our lives should be a reflection of His character, attitudes and behavior. We are called to “be like Jesus.”

 

     “It is on record that Charles Spurgeon made this comment about a man who was well-known for his bitter and resentful spirit: ‘May the grass grow green on his grave when he dies, for nothing ever grew around him while he lived!’

     “The sad and depressing bitter soul will compile a list of slights at which it takes offense and will watch over itself like a mother bear over her cubs. And the figure is apt, for the resentful heart is always surly and suspicious like a she-bear!

     “In our Christian fellowship, what can be more depressing than to find a professed Christian defending his or her supposed rights and bitterly resisting any attempt to violate them? … The sweet graces of meekness and humility are unknown to that person. Every day he or she grows harder and more acrimonious, trying to defend reputation, right, ministry, against imagined foes.

     “Is there a cure for this? Yes! The cure is to die to self and rise with Christ into newness of life!”  A.W. Tozer

 

More like Jesus, this is my plea!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King….For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:1, 2, 4

 

The old adage goes “familiarity breeds contempt.” I’m not sure that is accurate or logical, but our experience does seem to reinforce that “things” we “get used to” become “boring.” New things or experiences seem to add a “little spice” to our lives. Unfortunately this is too often true in our “church experience.” The music can “get old.” The preaching even older! We do the “same thing” all the time and the “life is gone out of everything.”  Many believers run into the same feelings in their spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible reading. People grow “tired and weary” of their marriages, their homes and their careers. Multitudes forsake their responsibilities just because of emptiness in those activities. This is certainly not what God intended for His creation, especially for mankind that He created in His own image!

 

There is a power in knowing God that continually “breathes new life” into us. Think carefully about Paul’s words to the Philippians. He wrote, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (3:12-14) Following is what Mr. Tozer understood!

     “Therefore, when God elects a man or woman, it does not mean that he or she can sit down and at ease announce: ‘I have arrived! Put a period there and write ‘finis’ across my experience!’

     “No, of course not! God begets us into His provision, and that which is still before us is always greater than that which is behind us.

     “…The electing and the begetting were means leading into a hope and an inheritance- the true Christian believer is actually the beneficiary of God!

     ‘This is not a figure- not just poetic phrase. It is openly taught from Genesis to Revelation that God, being who He is, His beneficences are infinite and limitless!” 

 

Our God is the always “new,” always “fresh” life-Giver! He can breathe freshness and newness into any “old familiar” situation of our lives! Let Him “refresh” you today!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

“Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You.” Psalm 119:36-38

 

It happens throughout the year, but especially now there are multitudes who will be “wearing their colors proudly.” It seems that the fall football season is a time when great numbers of people display their loyalty to their favorite teams. There will be T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, coats, hats and flags displayed boldly on bodies, vehicles and even houses. When the favorite team is having a winning season, the fans will be extremely noisy about their team. Amazingly, even when the team’s record isn’t very positive, the really loyal fans will continue to display their “colors” and mascots proudly. How can so much enthusiasm be generated by something as mundane as football?

 

How good of a “fan” of Jesus are we and the gospel? Paul declared to the Romans, whose culture “worshiped” athletics as much as we appear to, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) Even if the message of the Savior who died for our sins wasn’t very popular in a culture that honored strength and power, Paul stood up to “show his colors.” He wanted to make the Romans aware of His favorite “team,” so he proclaimed the power of God to save those who will believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus actually taught His followers to “stand up” and “stand strong” for the message that He brought to this world. Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Jesus seemed to promise that He will be as ashamed or unashamed of us as we are of Him in this world. Jesus expects us to be loyal and bold followers!

 

Let’s proudly display “our colors!”

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

“As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust….But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13, 14, 17

 

Recent “tragedies” remind us why the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “Vanity of vanities; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (1:2) Later in the same book it is written, “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life…” (9:9) Solomon goes on and encourages us to do our best now because “…there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (9:10) The perspective of this argument is that this present life on earth is all that there is. People live and die at various ages, but all end up in the same condition in the grave. The grave becomes the “final word” on every person’s life with nothing more. It is the end! Unfortunately there are many, many people who try to live with this philosophy and understanding of life and death. Most of those people are discouraged and empty with no hope. They live daily subject to the vagaries in this world.

 

Jesus came proclaiming that there is definitely something beyond this worldly existence. In fact, Jesus challenged people to live more intentionally and passionately for the “next world” than for this one we are now in. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19, 20) Jesus also asked the question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Jesus knew (and still knows) that this world is not the “end all.” There is clearly “another world” that we will enter upon death, our passing from here to there. Life is only vain or tragic when we don’t know where we are going and how we are going to get there.

 

The only comfort and joy that exist are found in being saved! Hope is only to be found in knowing that you belong to Jesus and you are safe in Him! We are going to live forever in heaven because He has given eternal life to those who trust Him. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) Have you been saved? Have you found the only real hope available to mankind?

 

I’ll see you in heaven!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:4-5

 

The word “hear” is translated from the Hebrew word “shema!”  God used that word many times throughout His messages to His people as recorded in the Bible. The book of Micah is divided into three sections that each begins with that word. (See Micah 1:2; 3:1; and 6:1.) It is obvious that God speaks and He expects His people to listen!

 

Last week’s Sunday School/Life-group lesson contained the following question: “What would our worship services be like if we intentionally prepared ourselves beforehand?” The author concluded that “…surely we should prepare ourselves.” Interestingly, J. Mark Horst wrote about these ideas in his editorial in the September/October 2016 Hope Horizons mission newsletter.

 

     “Are you listening?
With the proliferation of electronic media, people suffer from self-induced attention deficit disorder. Expecting people to sit and listen to a 30 to 45 minute sermon is just too much! Is it really? I don’t think so.

     “Let me offer several tips to help you become a better listener.

     “Make a commitment to become a better listener.
Desire and discipline are two key ingredients.
     “Do not use Sunday morning as a time to sleep late.
Get enough rest and get up early enough so you don’t need to rush around to arrive at least 10 minutes before the service begins. Most people get to sports events long before start time.
     “Spend time in prayer before the service
for those leading out, and especially for the one who will share the Word.
     “Leave your cell phone/tablet at home.
Or at least turn it off during the services. Carry a ‘hard copy’ of the Scripture; there are no other apps in it for your carnality to stray to.
     “Take notes on the sermon each week.
For most of us, this forces us to pay attention even if the sermon is not the most interesting or the speaker the most dynamic. It provides a resource for further study and verification (Acts 17:11).”

 

Throughout Revelation 2 and 3 we find: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Let’s listen!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – AUGUST 28, 2016

“Try-Out Sunday”

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:22-24

 

Many of us have had an experience of “falling” or “being in love” with another person who seemed to “complete” us. Often a statement is made in these relationships such as “If I just have you in my life, I am totally satisfied.” Usually those words are spoken in sincere honesty at the time, and express the true experience, feeling and emotions at the time. It is somewhat sad to admit that these honest and sincere expressions don’t always last a lifetime. Something “grows old” or familiar in the relationship and the one-time satisfaction seems to fade away. The question that needs to be asked and answered is, “Is it possible to find a relationship in which satisfaction and fulfillment will remain throughout life?” The Bible records many expressions of many different people which declare they had found such a relationship. That relationship was always with God! Like the words from Lamentations, the declaration of many has been, “The Lord is my portion!”

 

Can God satisfy individuals for a lifetime and even beyond? Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! Tozer wrote:

     “Why should we have to accept the idea held in some Christian circles that new converts will soon lose their first zeal and settle down to a life of dull religious routine? …It disturbs me that some Christians are satisfied to accept the title of ‘dead average.’

     “What happens? Can it be that the person who has had a joyful conversion becomes enamored of his experience, failing to keep his eyes fixed on the Lord?

     “Only engrossment with God can maintain perpetual spiritual enthusiasm because

only God can supply everlasting novelty. In God every moment is new and nothing ever gets old.  Of things religious we may become tired, even prayer may weary us; but God never!

     “Brothers and sisters, nothing can preserve the sweet savor of our first experience except to be preoccupied with God Himself! Let the new convert know that if he would grow instead of shrink, he must spend his nights and days in communion with the triune God!”

 

Staying fresh!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – AUGUST 21, 2016

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who hear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10

 

Last Sunday, I shared the following with the congregation during the sermon. Read it carefully.

 

     “I must ask this question in the context of today’s modern Christianity: ‘Is it not true that for most of us who call ourselves Christians there is no real experience?’

     “We have substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions, but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there!
     “Whatever else it embraces, true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of an original once enjoyed by someone else of whom we have heard.
     “It cannot but be a major tragedy in the life of any man or woman to live in a church from childhood to old age and know nothing more real than some synthetic god compounded of theology and logic, but having no eyes to see, no ears to hear- and no heart to love!”

 

We know that our faith is fixed in the truth of God’s Word rather than in our feelings or emotions, however emotions have been given to us by God, and they are a part of our total life. Mr. A. W. Tozer was correct in his evaluation of many, many “Christians’” experience; there is a tremendous lack of a genuine personal encounter with the living Savior. Seek Him! Call on Him and ask Him to open your eyes and ears.  He will answer and touch your life in a very real way that you will know that it is His touch.

 

I have tasted and seen!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – AUGUST 14, 2016

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who hear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10

 

We could not possibly know about God unless He was willing to reveal Himself to us. God is so totally “other” than we are that there is an impassable, impossible gap between us. Our sinfulness has also ‘blinded” us so that we cannot “see” or perceive who God is in our own natural abilities. God understands this predicament we have, so He has been revealing Himself and opening our eyes to make it possible for us to “see” Him. It is only because of His love and grace that He has been actively producing revelation.

 

The Bible records God’s acts in creation and history as major instruments of His revelation. He also speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, to reveal truth about His character and nature. The single greatest act of historical revelation was the incarnation, the event when God “took on flesh” and became a man and dwelt among us. The apostle, John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared (revealed) Him.” (John 1:18) Mr. A. W. Tozer wrote the following about this verse.

     “The Bible’s answer is clear: That Man walking in Galilee was God, acting like God! It was God, limited deliberately, having crossed the wide, mysterious gulf between God and not God, between God and creature. No man has seen God at any time.

     “…We still have not said all that God revealed when He said, ‘Nobody has ever looked at God, but when Jesus Christ came He showed us what God is like’ (paraphrase of John 1:18).

     “He has revealed Him- He has shown us what God is like!

     “He has declared Him! He has set Him forth! He has revealed Him!”

 

We must look fully at Jesus if we want to know God! Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus!

 

Pastor Doug

 

 
 
 

 

SUNDAY – AUGUST 7, 2016

“Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom you have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.” Psalm 86:8-12

 

The Westminster Confession states that the “chief end of man is to glorify God.” It should be evident to us that worshiping God, the true God, is a major theme found in the Bible. Observation of humanity in their “original environments” and cultural practices demonstrates that worship has always been a practice of mankind. Worship almost seems to be an innate desire in the hearts of most people. When we begin to think about our own practice of worship, we should desire to do it the way that pleases our Creator God. We best can learn that way in the Bible. Psalm 86 helps us gain a very important insight, and Dennis Kinlaw wrote about this subject in This Day with the Master on August 2.

 

     “I suspect that this is one of the most significant prayers to be found anywhere in the Word of God. Anyone who comes to know God will begin to hunger for this reality. In verses 1-7, the psalmist beseeches God to embarrass the rebels of his own court. But when he enters the presence of God, he asks him to remove the rebel from within his own heart. His own rebelliousness becomes the pressing concern of this psalm. The treachery in his own heart poses more of a threat than the rebel in his court.

     “God desires that each follower of Christ make this pilgrimage: to move from praying for changed circumstances to praying for a united heart. Of all human aspirations and dreams, I suspect that longing for inner unity is the deepest hunger of the human soul- to have a heart completely united in commitment to God. We want to be as committed to Him as He is to us. He wants us to praise Him with our whole hearts, without any ‘minority report’ within us to hinder that praise.”

 

Let’s offer our whole attention and heart to God in our worship and praise today!

 

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JULY 24, 2016

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech and night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-3

 

Last Sunday, we were reminded that it is important to have a proper understanding that the creation requires a Creator. Since there is a Creator, it is also understandable that His creatures will be held accountable to Him. Without this proper understanding even the biblical call for repentance will lose its impact upon our lives. The plain truth is that humanity is losing fascination over the wonder and majesty of the creation. All of this is the result of evolutionary and naturalistic philosophy with which our world has been indoctrinated for over a century. The Bible challenges us to recapture a sense of awe when we look at and “behold” our God’s handiwork, the Creation that we live in.

 

Mr. Tozer wrote: “Reading my Bible, I am greatly impressed by the manner in which godly men of old revealed in their writings an intense love for every natural beauty around them. They saw nature as the handiwork of an all-powerful and all-glorious Creator!

     “The Old Testament is a marvelous rhapsody on the creation….Go to the book of Job. In the closing section you will be amazed at the sublimity of the language describing the world around us. Then go to the Psalms, with David literally dancing with ecstatic delight as he gazes out upon the wonders of God’s world. Go to Isaiah, where imagery is neither fanciful nor flighty but a presentation of the wonders of creation.

     “In our generation, how rarely we get into a situation where we can feel the impulses of nature communicated to us. We seldom have time to lift our eyes to look at God’s heaven- except when we are wondering if we should wear our boots!”

 

Let’s look with wonder again! Let’s worship the God of all creation!

Pastor Doug

 

 
 

 

SUNDAY – JULY 17, 2016

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech and night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-3

 

There is a universal encounter with nature that has confronted mankind throughout all history. It is inescapable. It is extremely wonderful, beautiful, powerful and mysterious. It has been commonly accepted by humankind that the “language of nature” speaks about a Creator, the God of the universe. People are forced to reckon with the Creator just by the very essence of that “voice” speaking through nature. The only way that mankind can effectively “avoid” the confrontation with the Creator is to deny the necessity of a creator. They cannot deny the existence of nature, so they attempt to explain its existence without needing the Creator. Hence, Darwin’s evolutionary theory and millions of years are presented as an alternative explanation for the undeniable existence of the natural world surrounding us. Always remember that the attitude and spirit behind the theory is completely committed to disproving and eliminating the existence of the Creator!

 

Without the acknowledgement of the Creator, people then believe that no one has ultimate accountability to Him. Mr. A. W. Tozer points out that this also eliminates “true repentance” in the lives of created human beings.

     “In fact they deny that men and women are the creation of God. They deny even that they owe allegiance to God, their Creator!

     “The Bible is the record of how God deals with mankind, and how we can draw but one conclusion: All people are morally obligated to repent and to ask forgiveness of God. Failing to do so, they will perish.

     “How rare it is in our day to hear of genuine repentance. We live amid a proud, selfish, and self-sufficient people. Even in our Christian churches there are those who want nothing more than to be known as ‘respectable church members.’”

 

I want to be more than “respectable”!

Pastor Doug

 
 
 

 

 

SUNDAY – JULY 10, 2016

“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29: 1, 2

 

There are many wonderful and beautiful things that God has created for us to see and appreciate. He wants our experience of worship to be among the most beautiful in our lives. This past Thursday, July 7, Dennis Kinlaw’s devotional writing in This Day with the Master was of great encouragement for those who want to experience the beauty of true worship.

 

     “What is the heart of worship? It is when God comes out of the abstract distance and into personal proximity, and we know that we are face-to-face with God himself. Worship occurs when we realize that He cares enough about us to tell us His personal name and to call us His children. This is enough to fill a person with praise, and if we are the people we are designed to be, our praise will never end.

     “When you tell another person your name, you allow that one to enter into a different relationship with you, a deeper relationship. The act of giving your name actually gives the other some control over you; it means that person now has the power to get your attention. You have invited that person into a closer relationship with you. This desire for closeness is a key reason the Old Testament emphasizes so strongly the name Yahweh and the New Testament speaks so pointedly about the goodness of God in the name of Jesus.

     “This is the reason the psalms so often use the name Yahweh (Lord in English translations). The psalmists are trying to say that God Himself has become very personal to them. They are exulting in the fact that they know God by name, that they are God’s friends. This is the heart of worship: that the God of all the world would want us to know His name, that He deigns to come so close to us, and that He longs for a deeper relationship with us. This is reason enough for continual worship.”

 

I’m going back to the heart of worship!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JULY 3, 2016

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope….You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:9, 11

 

We have gathered for the purpose of worshiping our God. The God we worship and serve is phenomenal, almost beyond any description, and certainly beyond all attempts at describing Him. Yet we are given words in the Bible that help us to get a glimpse of His glory. Some of those words are beautiful, awesome, strong, omnipotent, unapproachable, everlasting, just to name a few. The Bible does explain that there are blessings in these attributes of God that we can enjoy as we “enter into His presence.” Yet it does seem that multitudes are missing out on the benefits of knowing God!

 

Mr. A. W. Tozer wrote over half of a century ago, “Today more than ever we Christians need to learn to sanctify the ordinary. This is a blasé generation. People have been overstimulated to the place where their nerves are jaded and their tastes corrupted. Natural things have been rejected to make room for things artificial. The sacred has been secularized, the holy vulgarized, and worship converted into a form of entertainment. A dopey, blear-eyed generation seeks constantly for some new excitement powerful enough to bring a thrill to its worn-out and benumbed sensibilities. So many wonders have been discovered or invented that nothing on earth is any longer wonderful. Everything is common and almost everything is boring.

     “When the whole moral and psychological atmosphere is secular and common, how can we escape its deadly effects? How can we sanctify the ordinary and find true spiritual meaning in the common things of life? The answer has already been suggested.  It is to consecrate the whole of life to Christ and begin to do everything in His name and for His sake.

 

To know Him, and make Him known!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JUNE 26, 2016

“I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name.” Psalm 138:1-2

 

We are Christians- that means that we are followers of Jesus Christ. He is the One that we worship and acknowledge as the “Christ, the Son of the living God.” On the Day of Pentecost, Peter concluded his sermon with this important point: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made (by raising Him from the dead) this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (See Acts 2: 32-36.) Just a few days later, Peter also declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) We must always be assured that Jesus is God and He is the One in control of our lives.

 

Mr. Tozer wrote: “With all that is within me, I believe that the crucified and risen and glorified Savior, Jesus Christ, is the sovereign Lord. He takes no orders from anyone. He has no counselors and no advisers. He has no secretary to the throne. He knows in one effortless act all that can be known, and He has already lived out our tomorrows and holds the world in the palm of His hand.

     “That is the Lord I serve! I gladly own that I am His; glory to God! The Christ we know and serve is infinitely beyond all men and all angels and all archangels, above all principalities and powers and dominions, visible and invisible- for He is the origin of them all!”

 

I declare,“Jesus is Lord!”

Pastor Doug

  
 
 
 

SUNDAY – JUNE 19, 2016

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear and your soul will live…” Isaiah 55:1-3a

When we come to church to worship and seek the Lord, we are doing “God-business.” When we pray and issue an invitation to people to join in our pursuit of God, we are doing “God-business.” It is essential that we are given a “revelation” of the God we seek to serve. We must gain the biblical “picture” of who God is, or we will never be able to respond to Him properly. (Just to be clear, there is a proper way to respond to God, but it is inward rather than some outward ritual!) We must do this “God-business” in the manner that God accepts!

John MacArthur, Jr. helps us all to gain some understanding of the proper biblical perspective in his book, The Gospel According to Jesus.  The following comes from page 107.

     “The portrait of Jesus in the gospels is altogether different from the picture contemporary evangelicals typically imagine. Rather than a would-be redeemer who merely stands outside anxiously awaiting an invitation to come into unregenerate lives, the Savior described in the New Testament is God in the flesh, invading the world of sinful men and challenging them to turn from their iniquity. Rather than waiting for an invitation, He issues His own- in the form of a command to repent and take on a yoke of submission.”

The Bible teaches that God is the “invitation-giver.” He must first call us, or we will never be able to come to Him. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

 

Our prayer is that God will call more, and people will be listening more!

Pastor Doug

 

 
 

 

SUNDAY – JUNE 12, 2016

“’But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 4:2, 3

A poignant scene in the movie, Saving Private Ryan, shows Ryan as an old man kneeling at the white-cross grave marker of Captain Miller who sacrificed his life in the effort to save Ryan and return him to his family.  Ryan says to his wife, “Tell me that I’m a good man.”  The reason he asked the question was because Captain Miller’s dying words to Ryan were, “Earn this.” The implication of that dialogue is that Ryan wanted to be “a good man.” When reminded of the sacrifices others have made for one’s own benefit, the usual response is to attempt to be a good person. There are many theological and biblical truths that come to bear on that idea of one being “a good man,” but in the end of all discussions, there should be no doubt that God wants to work in us to make us all “good men.”

I would like to add that one of the greatest needs in our homes and families today is “a good man” in every one of them. I appreciate A. W. Tozer’s comments in this discussion.

     “The Christian churches of our day have suffered a great loss in rejecting the example of good men, choosing instead the ‘celebrity of the hour’ for their pattern. We must agree that it is altogether unlikely that we know who our ‘greatest’ men are. One thing is sure, however- the greatest man alive today is the best man alive today. That is not open to debate.

     “Spiritual virtues run deep and silent. The holy and humble man will not advertise himself nor allow others to do it for him.

     “The Christian who is zealous to promote the cause of Christ can begin by living in the power of God’s Spirit, and so reproducing the life of Christ in the sight of men. In deep humility and without ostentation, he can let his light shine.

     “To sum it all up: the most effective argument for Christianity is still the good lives of those who profess it!”

Lord, give us good men!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JUNE 5, 2016

  Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praise to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” Psalm 66:1-4

The New Testament clearly reveals that Jesus of Nazareth is God in flesh. Jesus is both Creator and Lord of this world and the universe that it is found in. He has been shown to the world as the King of Glory, the King who is enthroned as Ruler of the world. He is the Sustainer of this world and He holds everything together. Because of Who He is, you and I will be called to appear before Him and we will be judged by Him. When we realize Who He is and we recognize that we want to be accepted by Him, He has abundant love, mercy and grace that are sufficient to give each of us complete forgiveness. In His majestic and awesome glory, He willingly extends an invitation to each of us to receive His pardon and allow Him to be Savior and Lord in our personal lives.

Such a gracious invitation by such a Holy God must be understood as it is presented in the Gospel records. John MacArthur, Jr. wrote, “It may surprise you to learn that Scripture never once exhorts sinners to ‘accept Christ.’ The familiar twentieth-century evangelistic appeal in all its variations (’make a decision for Christ’; ‘ask Jesus into your heart’; ‘try Jesus’; ‘accept Jesus as your personal savior’), violates both the spirit and the terminology of the Biblical summons to unbelievers.”

MacArthur goes on to explain, “The gospel invitation is not an entreaty for sinners to allow the Savior into their lives. It is both an appeal and a command for them to repent and follow Him. It demands not just passive acceptance of Christ but active submission to Him as well.” (p. 106, The Gospel According to Jesus)

 

Next week, I’ll share more about how we must respond to the knowledge that the one true God does offer us an invitation to follow Him.
 

A Follower of Jesus Christ,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – MAY 15, 2016

“’But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 4:2, 3

The last prophet of the Old Testament predicted a day in which God would do a work of judgment and righteousness in the earth. He declared that God would certainly judge and punish “all who do wickedly” in the earth, but at the same time He would raise up those who “fear His name.” God will bless with healing and prosperity all the righteous people who have placed their trust in Him in contrast to the judgment He will bring upon the unbelieving world. There are both “future” and “present” fulfillments of Malachi’s predictions.

There should be little doubt that you and I can take these “promises” to heart, and by faith we can claim His promise of blessing to us. God wants to raise up His people as a witness to the world of His great mercy and power available through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. He wants us to live lives that reflect His glory in this world and declare the salvation that is available to all who will call on His name.

The end of Malachi reminds us that this “work” of God begins in our homes! The Lord declared, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will

turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers,

lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5, 6)

Let’s pray for our families and ask God to begin a great revival in our homes. The hope of a nation being restored to righteousness can only be found in revived and renewed families!

For our families,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

Mother’s Day

May 8, 2016

We have gathered to join the voice of Scripture, history and nature in declaring that “God is good!” We join the Psalmist, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.” (Ps. 100:4, 5)

The Bible records and declares that the love God has for us is greater than all other love known by mankind. It is certain that most of humanity realizes that “family love,” particularly parental love, is the highest or most “perfect” love expressed and known by the human race. Often God chose to use the example of this love to compare His own love for us. David wrote in Psalm 27, “When my father and my mother forsake me, than the Lord will take care of me.” (v.10) David is presenting an expression that indicates that God’s loving concern for us is “more permanent” than our parent’s love. Some of the most exciting words from God that address this idea are found in the Book of Isaiah.

“But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’

Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you!” (Is. 49: 14, 15)

 

Some mothers “bear the scars” of giving birth and raising their children, but God has declared that He would engrave our names in the palms of His hands. (See Isaiah 49:16.) God wants you to know that as highly as we might think of our own mother’s love for us His love is even higher and surer. Humans are not perfect and can sometimes fail us, even our mothers. God is perfect in all His ways and His love for us is as complete and eternal as He is. Today we celebrate the mothers that God has placed in our lives and their wonderful love for us. Yet more than our mothers’ love, we rejoice in the Love of our God and Savior!

We are loved with a perfect love,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – MAY 1, 2016

“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.’ Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” Psalm 66:1-5

 

The Bible records many “works” of God throughout the history of the world. It also explains that God’s ultimate purpose in doing those awesome, miraculous works is to “fill the earth with His glory.” God wants all the nations of the earth to recognize that He is God and there is no other besides Him. The culminating song in heaven will be “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” One day all the nations will worship God either willingly in submission, or unwillingly in subjugation. He is Lord and King and every tongue will declare that truth!

 

God began His awesome works thousands of years ago and He will continue to do them throughout time. When the church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed that it was the work of God being done in fulfillment of a prophecy made by Joel. God was working by “pouring out His Spirit on all flesh.” God continues to do that work today through the world, and He is calling people to know Him and worship Him. It is our great privilege as Christian believers to be a part of that awesome work of God.

 

I do not want to be a part of any group that does not see itself as “the work of God.” Each of us must be in prayer asking God to work in and through us at Needmore Bible Church!

 

Rejoicing and praising God,

Pastor Doug

 

 

SUNDAY – APRIL 24, 2016

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a hole nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” I Peter 1:9-10

 

It is true that following Jesus is the best life that one could possibly live in this world. It is a life filled with many blessings for the individual believer and God “gives all good things for us to enjoy.” (See I Timothy 6:17.) But the secret to “enjoying” those blessings of God is to stop living for “self.” Christians are called to live for the ones that they are to serve. “This is the reason a church without a missionary passion and a missionary budget is not the church that Christ envisioned.” (Dr. Dennis Kinlaw) The church is called to serve in the role of the priesthood and become mediators for the lost world that surrounds us. Following comes from the Elders’ and Deacons’ devotional reading on this past Wednesday, which is from

This Day with the Master by Dennis Kinlaw.

 

     “….Believers are to stand between the world and God, mediating between them. Followers of Christ must have God’s signature on them so the world knows to whom they belong. When Christians have been washed by the blood of Jesus, they begin to look like Jesus. His character is to be the defining quality of their lives.

     “One important thing about priests in the Old Testament is the garments they wore. A priest could not serve unless he wore the priestly garments. To serve as mediators between a world without God and God himself, we must be dressed in the righteousness of God so the world can see His Presence in us. We cannot just have a cloak of righteousness that covers our sins; we must allow the Spirit to change us from the inside out so that we actually begin to be like Jesus.

     “Jesus is our High Priest. He placed Himself between God and us and caused God’s grace to meet our need, and therefore we were redeemed. As Christians we stand between Christ and His Cross on the one hand and the world in its lostness on the other. Our business is to cause that grace of Christ and the need of the world about us to meet. As the Father sent Jesus to us, Jesus sends us to His world and ours.”

 

They need Jesus; they need us!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – APRIL 17, 2016

    “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”        Psalm 40:1-3

 

Are you feeling mired down by all the “mud” that surrounds you in this world? It is very easy to feel “stuck” and discouraged. When this happens, an individual begins to live without the peace and joy that God has promised in His Word. This is a tragedy that so many of us seem to settle for less than the Lord is willing to give us. When we get “mired down,” we stop making progress in our Christian life and walk of faith. Too many of us begin to believe that this “halfway Christian life” is the morn and we become defeated. This is not what God wants for any of us!

 

One very significant reason that Christians are experiencing this type of “depression” is that the “voice” we are hearing the loudest is the voice of the world. We are bombarded by bad reports through many media outlets. Even our peers are prone to share “bad news” with us more than encouraging and upbeat messages. We must realize that there is another source that we must look to receive positive and true information. We need to be hearing the voice of God as He speaks to us through His Word. We must spend more time with the Bible, reading it and listening for the message that God would give to us. His words are life and peace! God speaks life to those who will listen to Him.

 

Here is just one song of the people of God recorded in Isaiah.

“You (that’s God) will keep in perfect peace, the one whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”  26:3-3

 

May the Lord lift us out of the “miry clay” as we hear His voice speak to us!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – APRIL 10, 2016

“So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.’” Zechariah 4:6

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is a cause for distraction; but be filled with the Spirit.”    Ephesians 5:18

 

The Christian life is a mysterious and miraculous one. From the moment of the “new birth,” throughout the life of faith and victory, until the triumph of our resurrection to eternal life, the believer’s life is one that is dependent on God’s power working within us. As Paul explained in his letter to the Galatians, when we are joined to Christ’s crucifixion and death through faith, we die with Him by the Spirit. Then we are raised to “new life” through faith in Him by the same Spirit. The “real” Christian life is one that is produced by God’s Spirit. That is why it is so important for the Christian to “be filled with the Spirit.” We want the fullness of God’s life and Presence within us and that is produced by the Holy Spirit.

 

The Bible records many stories of individuals who eventually lived lives that demonstrated that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. One such story is about Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, who wrestled with God until God crippled his leg. It was in this brokenness, that Jacob was able to be “filled” with God’s Spirit. (See Genesis 32.) This is what Dr. Dennis Kinlaw concluded from Jacob’s story:

     “I never knew a person who was filled with the Holy Ghost who did not have some brokenness in him. We want to stand straight and be self-contained and poised, but God cannot use us or bless us when we are in that position. He wants to break us so that instead of our own power, we have the Holy Spirit’s power. Are you willing to be broken for Him? This is the toughest of all battles, but it determines whether we will be free or in bondage.

     “We need to have our own Peniel where we meet Jesus face-to-face. We must see ourselves for what we truly are. We must cry out to God for heart cleansing, and we must let Him come and fill us with His Spirit. We must allow Him to break us so He can make us into prevailers, conquerors, and overcomers.”

 

Lets’ all ask and seek for His fullness in our lives!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – APRIL 3, 2016

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

 

The church is the most wonderful body of people on the face of the earth. The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is the one Who has established the church and will even continue to “build” it until He “takes” the church out of the world. One of the church’s unique roles in this world is to be the “place” where the Truth is protected and disseminated. Paul wrote in I Timothy 3:15 that “…the church of the living God

is the pillar and ground of the truth.” Dr. Lock applies this verse by writing, “Each local church has it in its power to support and strengthen the truth by its witness to the faith and by the lives of its members.”  This is one of the reasons that this congregation is called Needmore Bible Church. We are committed to defending and dispersing biblical truth.

 

 Our congregational leadership would have read the following in devotions from Dr. Dennis Kinlaw this past Tuesday.

     “As you pore over Scripture, you should keep seeking to understand those great biblical clues that will enable you to interpret life as a Christian. How much happier and how much more effective all of our lives would be if we were thoroughly biblical in our outlook and orientation. Scripture is where the key to interpretation of reality really is. There are so many of us who do not understand life. There are so many of us who live in confusion and uncertainty. God wants His children to see, discern, to perceive, and to know, and therefore to be able to lead and to help others. We will never be ready to do that until we come to the place where the Bible is not simply a book of magic or merely a religious book, but rather the key to life. It is the clue to reality given to us by the One who created reality.”

 

The church believes that the Bible is the living and powerful Word of the living God!

I affirm my whole confidence in the Bible!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

EASTER SUNDAY

March 27, 2016

“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear…. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:32-33, 36

 

There are many evidences that support the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One of the most powerful is the transformation that took place in the lives of His disciples. They were changed from cowardly, denying, and hiding “followers” into a group of bold, brave, and death-defying servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many, including Chuck Colson in his book, Loving God, have written about this transformation that caused the disciples to move from timidity to laying down their lives for the cause of preaching the resurrection to the world. Something happened that is inexplicable except that those men had actually encountered the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. They knew with total assurance that Jesus was alive again after He had died on the cross for the sins of the world. Paul wrote, “…We have testified of God that He raised up Christ!” (I Corinthians 15:15)

 

In Acts 14:19, there is the record that Paul had been stoned and presumed dead in the city of Lystra. The record declares that the disciples gathered around him and he rose up and went into the city, and the next day he left and went to Derbe. Acts 14:21 records, “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra…” Paul wanted to go back and encourage the believers to keep on believing regardless the threat of opposition. Where does a person get such courage and boldness to return to the very place where he was almost killed? He gets it from knowing the truth that Jesus Christ was raised from the grave. He gets it from knowing that Jesus Christ is alive forever.

 

We must discover courage in the fact of the Resurrection! We serve a risen and living Savior!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

PALM SUNDAY

March 20, 2016

   “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light; … You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118:25-29

 

One of the most common and deeply rooted desires of people is the desire for justice. Good men and bad men, young men and old men, educated and not-so-educated men seek justice in this world. The cry has been heard often that “things are just not fair!”  Perhaps during this “election season” that desire is motivating people to choose a candidate that will be able to restore justice in the land. The search for that leader who can “even things out” and cause fairness to be the experience for all goes on with great passion. The incredible truth is that this is not a recent phenomenon. From the beginning of civilization, people have been searching for that “leader” who can deliver us from the mistreatment by our fellowman and the injustices that are rampant in the world.

 

There have been many kings, princes, masters and presidents that seemed hopeful, yet the world remains filled with injustice. God has heard the cry of human hearts and promised His people that He would send the anointed One who would be the great King of justice. In fact God has already sent Him into the world once. He sent His own Son to be the Savior and King of this world. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the King who came and will come again. He now rules in the hearts of those who have surrendered to Him, and they are part of His kingdom “that is not of this world.” He is going to come back to this earth and He will establish a reign of perfect justice around the globe. Neither human potentate nor human effort will ever establish true justice on the earth. Only God through His anointed King will accomplish that. That Day is coming when Jesus Christ will reign as King over the whole earth! What a Day that will be!

 

“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and ever-

lasting power. Amen.”  I Timothy 6:13-16

 

Waiting for the Coming King!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – MARCH 13, 2016

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

                                                                                                                                    Psalm 84:11, 12

 

There is a truth declared in the Bible about God that must become certain in our hearts and minds. It is that God is good! From God’s heart of goodness, all are able to enjoy sunshine, rain and the supply of “bread” that He makes available. God has created this world with delightful tastes, textures, colors, and fragrances for all to enjoy. Jesus declared that we ought to know that our heavenly Father will “give good gifts” to those who ask. (See Matthew 7:9-11.) There is a great multitude of “blessings” that God showers us all with continually. We should all be encouraged to “…trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (I Timothy 5:17)

 

At the same time the Bible is filled with warnings about those “good things” that God intends as blessings. We must guard our hearts from loving them more than we love God. It is not a good thing to love the blessings more than the Blesser. In fact, we will not be able to enjoy those things with sinful and misdirected hearts. Here are only a few of the verses that warn us about misplaced affection.

 

     “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   Matthew 6:19-21

 

     “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  Matthew 6:24

 

     “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”   I John 2:15

 

     “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”   I Timothy 6:9-10

 

     “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”   Luke 14:26

 

Let’s love God most!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

SUNDAY – MARCH 6, 2016

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be likeminded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15”4-6

 

One very central purpose of our gathering as believers is to worship and exalt God. We should desire to declare His glory that has been revealed through His mighty acts in history, the mightiest of which was His appearance in flesh when He overcame sin and death. We know that in order to rightly proclaim God’s glory, we must talk about Jesus Christ “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9) It is only in “knowing” Jesus Christ that any person can know the God of the universe. That’s why our worship must always include the proclamation of His name, Jesus Christ the Lord.

 

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached that Jesus of Nazareth had been raised from the grave and “…God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) We must acknowledge that Jesus is both our Savior from sin and our Lord at the same time. Jesus cannot be one without being the other. Mr. A. W. Tozer wrote:

     “But, I am forced to ask: How can we insist and teach that our Lord Jesus Christ can be our Savior without being our Lord?

     “How can so many continue to teach that we can be saved without any thought of obedience to our Sovereign Lord?

     “I am satisfied in my own heart that when a man or woman believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she must believe on the whole Lord Jesus Christ- not making any reservation! How can a teaching be justified when it encourages sinners to use Jesus as a Savior in their time of need, without owing Him obedience and allegiance?

     “I believe we need to return to preaching a whole Christ to our needy world!”

 

Only the “whole Jesus” will change our lives and this world. Let’s exalt Him as our Savior and Lord!

Pastor Doug

 

 
 

 

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 28, 2016

“…Thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day…And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’” –Luke 24:46, 48-49

 

The third chapter of John is an exciting section of the New Testament. The major portion records an encounter that Jesus had with a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus opened a conversation about spiritual issues by telling Jesus that He had to be a “teacher come from God” because of the miracles that Jesus had performed. Jesus immediately told Nicodemus that he needed to be “born again” if he was interested in “seeing the kingdom of God.” Jesus went on to clearly reveal that He was the One who could bring salvation to individuals. Here is what Jesus said about His mission to this world: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18) Chapter 3 ends with words from John the Baptist: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (v. 36)

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we know that eternal salvation is found only in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. We know that people must call on Him, and believe on Him to be saved. We have an awesome responsibility to tell the world about Jesus! They cannot, and will not be saved without the Son of God! We must declare salvation in His name to the world!

 

Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry?

Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?

Could a foreman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?

Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?

                                                    -Leonard Ravenhill

 

Let’s tell the world about Jesus!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 21, 2015

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John3:16

 

January was designated as Missions Month at Needmore Bible Church. I suppose every month should be Missions Month
since the primary ministry of the church is to “preach the Gospel” to the entire world in the hope of people being saved. These last two Sundays of February will be used for God to challenge us to become more involved in what God is doing around the world to save lost humanity. We will be encouraged by exciting opportunities that He will offer to us, especially in the area of “faith promises” and financially supporting those who are “out there in the field” working to win the lost. 

 

In January 2015, I shared Robertson McQuilkin’s explanation of our motive to be involved in a mission to reach lost people with the Gospel. In his book, The Five Smooth Stones, on page 141, he wrote that our basic motivation must be the “other-love” that comes from God. We must love people as He loves people.  “Other-love in terms of ‘holistic’ concern for health, education, and justice is OK, we’re told by advocates, but other-love in terms of a rescue mission from a bad ending– well, that’s so offensive to the postmodern that we mustn’t even mention it, let alone emphasize it.
     “The way I read Scripture, however, is that God so loved people that He gave His one and only Son to- do what?

Save them from perishing (in hell). I believe the increasing shift among evangelicals to de-emphasize hell could prove the demise of Pauline-style mission. And thus the death of multitudes who would, as a consequence, never hear the Good News of redemption.

     “We may love others in many ways: seeking their health, promoting justice, advancing education. And we should. Furthermore, the missions-movement always has. But above all, we should love them into eternal life, away from eternal death. May our churches never fail to love as God loves, to extend His provision of eternal salvation to the dark half of the world. God was motivated by people-love, so that must be our motivation as well, if we are to be God-like.”

 

Our prayer should be Dr. Will Houghton’s poem: “Love this world through me, Lord, This world of broken men, Thou didst love through death, Lord, Oh, love in me again!  Souls are in despair, Lord, Oh, make me know and care; When my life they see, May they behold Thee, Oh, love the world through me.”

 

Loving enough to give and send,

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

Missions Month

SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 7, 2016

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”   Matthew 5:14-16

 

Most of us understand the expressions, “He’s with me,” or “I’m with him.” These words are used when we are in unfamiliar territory or even when we are being threatened by questions like, “Who are you?” or “What are you doing here?” We count on our friendship with other people to sometimes protect us or “give us an in.” We know that whom we are “traveling” with can help give us an acceptable identity.

 

This also applies in our Christian walk. God has called us to be “light” in this world of darkness, and that requires us to be walking with Jesus. We recently celebrated the message of Christmas and the Incarnation and the significance of Immanuel, “God with us.” Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote the following about this truth of “God with us.”

 

     “But God intended that with to be reciprocal. He decided to be one with us because He wanted us to be one with Him. And the astounding thing is that He wanted us to be with Him in more than destiny. The with speaks of more than place. It also speaks of character. That is why God insisted that Israel be holy. They needed to be holy if they were to fulfill their mission as a holy nation. They needed even more to be holy if they were to be with Him because He said, ‘I am holy.’ That is why one of God’s most glorious promises in Scripture is the reference to every believer in the New Testament as a saint. The Father, through Christ’s sacrifice of Himself as one of us, can put His life into us until we, who by nature are sinners, can become companions with God. Yes, and more than companions. We are to be children of the Father and the very bride of His Son. Jesus is ‘Immanuel,’ ‘God with us,’ so we can be with Him in a remarkable way.”

 

His presence in our lives is our light.  Let Him shine!
 

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

Missions Month

SUNDAY – JANUARY 24, 2016

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” –Acts 20:28  “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” –Matthew 16:18

 

It is a wonderful privilege and great joy to be a part of God’s church, the one that Jesus loves as a husband loves his bride. A. W. Tozer once wrote that he had no desire to be part of a church that he could not believe was part of the movement that God began on the Day of Pentecost. He also wrote the following.

 

     “While we are right to thank God in appreciation for all the great and good men in the history of the Christian church, we actually ‘follow’ none of them. Our charter goes farther back and is from a higher source. They were rightly looked upon as leaders, but they were all servants of God, even as you and I are.

     “Luther sowed. Wesley watered. Finney reaped- but they were only servants of the living God.

     “In our local assemblies, we are part of the church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and perpetuated by the mystery of the new birth. Therefore, our assembly is that of Christian believers gathered unto a Name to worship and adore the Presence. So, in that sense, the strain is gone. The strain and pressure to abide by traditional religious forms all begin to pale in importance as we function in faith as the people of God who glorify His name and honor His presence!

     “If all of this is true- and everything within me witnesses that it is- we may insist that God is able to do for us all that He did in the days of the apostles. There has been no revocation of our charter!”

 

Let’s thank God for our church. Let’s pray for our church. Let’s believe that God is working in and through our church. Let’s expect a miraculous manifestation of His work today!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

Missions Month

SUNDAY – JANUARY 17, 2016

 

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

 

It should require very little reading of the Bible to begin to realize that there is often a conflict between God’s will and our own human will. The Fall (sin) has corrupted the human heart and causes us to live with a very self-centered agenda. The devil (Satan) knows this propensity of human hearts and does all he can to distract us from doing the Father’s will. Our enemy (Satan) wants us to be distracted and does all he can to convince us that we must “look out for number one,” “grab all the gusto we can,” and “enjoy life while we can.” Yet we need to be reminded of the sober truth “…that all in the world…is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (See I John 2:15-17.) We must choose to invest our lives in doing God’s will while we live on this earth.

 

Norman Lewis wrote, “The Bible says that your own ambition can be a deadly thing. Deal at the cross with your stubborn determination to have your own way. To dedicate your life to a program that is not God’s is to waste it. No human life lived at cross purposes with God’s plan can have God’s blessing.”

     “These issues are real to me. Many men have better brains than mine. Thousands are more talented. But many years ago I saw clearly that world evangelization (i.e. missions) is the purpose of God for our age. That is what God is doing. That is the task nearest His heart. I committed myself to Jesus Christ to help with that job.”

 

He then concluded, “My life belongs to Jesus Christ for world missions. And that enterprise is first in God’s plan for our age. I urge you to commit yourself to God. You will never regret having anchored your life to Christ. Give yourself to Him to do His will in world evangelization.”

Amen!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JANUARY 10, 2016

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (PANTA TA ETHNE), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’” –Matthew 28:18-19

 

January has been designated as Missions Month at Needmore Bible Church. We have been seeking to follow our Lord’s command to share the Gospel with the whole world. He has set a great challenge before us, but at the same time He has given us great promises of His power at work within us. He has not asked us to do anything for which He will not provide the resources and also enable us to accomplish. Heaven’s riches are available for the church in order to evangelize the world. When the Holy Spirit works through us, great things happen. Jonathan Goforth, missionary leader in China, wrote about what God accomplished in China in his book, By My Spirit.

 

     “In this book we speak of results which are abnormal. If the Almighty Spirit moves in sovereign power on the hearts and consciences of men the outcome must be above the normal. In his introduction to Miss Dyer’s Revival in India, Dr. A. T. Schofield says: ‘One thing to be borne in mind is that since the days of Pentecost there is no record of the sudden and direct work of the Spirit of God upon the souls of men that has not been accompanied by events more or less abnormal. It is, indeed, on consideration, only natural that it should be so. We cannot expect an abnormal inrush of Divine Light and power, so profoundly affecting the emotions and changing the lives of men, without remarkable results. As well expect a hurricane, an earthquake, or a flood, to leave nothing abnormal in its course, as to expect a true Revival that is not accompanied by events quite out of our ordinary experience.’” (p. 9)

 

  1. B. Simpson wrote the following about the infilling of the Holy Spirit in When the Comforter Came.

 

     “Beloved, if we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit and longing for the coming of Christ, we shall be active witnesses and workers in preparing for Him. We will be soul winners at home, and if we cannot go abroad we will help others to go and give the gospel quickly to all the world.”

 

May the Holy Spirit fill all of us with power so that we can send the gospel to the ends of the earth!

Pastor Doug

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY – JANUARY 3, 2016

“I will declare the decree; the Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Ps. 2:7-9

 

We have just celebrated the Advent of God’s Son into the world. He was made flesh and dwelt among mankind to declare what God is like. He displayed not only the character and nature of God, but He also demonstrated the purpose and mission of God. The intention of God’s heart is to save, rescue mankind from the certain impending judgment against all sin and unrighteousness. God wants to rescue people whom He will receive to Himself as His very own family. One way that this mission of God has been expressed is in the words “God is calling a people out of the world, unto Himself.” This mission has its beginning in the call of Abraham and God’s promise to him that “all the families of the earth will be blessed” through him. Jesus Christ was born physically of Jewish heritage. He was born as a descendant of Abraham to make it possible for God’s promise to him to be fulfilled.

 

The sad truth is that Jesus Christ came to save the “lost sheep of the House of Israel,” but most of that house rejected Him. The Bible has recorded that Jesus “came unto His own, but His own received Him not.” However, the family of God will be comprised of people from all ethnicities of the world. The “final family of God” will not be composed only of those of Jewish heritage. God wants to include people from “every tribe and tongue and people and nations.” (Rev. 5:9) Jesus explained it to the Jews by saying, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)

 

First, let’s rejoice that Gentiles, non-Jewish people (like you and I) have been the object of God’s mission to save and rescue. Let’s praise and thank Him that He has graciously included us in His family. Then, let’s join our God and Savior on His mission to “call out a people, unto God” from all over this globe! January is Missions Month at NBC!

 

Thankful to be called,

Pastor Doug