church

Suffering Messiah

Last week I spoke on the power and the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The Good News. That Good News involved a great price  from our Creator. God Himself, became the only Man under Heaven that could pay the price that  could bring us the Good News. The wages of sin is death and because it was a perfect man (Adam) who sinned, only a perfect Man (Jesus) could pay the  penalty. When God promised to send One into the world who would “crush” the head of the serpent, He knew that “One” would be Himself and that He would have to lie.
Until He came, God allowed man to cover (atone) for their sins through the sacrifice of innocent animals. The Book of Isaiah tells us that He (the Messiah) would be led “as a Lamb to the slaughter” Picturing the Messiah as an innocent Lamb. These innocent sacrificial animals were killed quickly and mercifully. This was not the case with our Savior. The Messiah did not just die, He suffered! Today, as we read through
53 (The suffering Messiah), the question is, why did the Messiah have to suffer?

Gospel

The Good News or “Gospel” was in fact, very good news to every man, woman and child. For those who accepted the Gospel and applied it to their life, how many are still walking in the goodness of the Good News Too many people today who are attending our churches have left their first love, have fallen into religious ordnances or even are now living a double life. Many people put on that “Sunday face” and come to church  to get their weekly dose of Christianity/religion. But, have they forgotten that their original confession of faith required repentance? For those who might have fallen into carnality or some sort of religious lethargy, there is still great hope. God still loves you! God still wants to hear from you! Above all God still wants to spend eternity with you! To the Church of Ephesus, Jesus said, “I have this against you You have left your first love”. When did you first love Jesus? Was it not the very moment that you realized that He loves you and that He died that you might live? Indeed, today we will look back onto that which you may well have forgotten  Today let us return to the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ and onto our first Love!


Pastor Wayne

Lazy Christians

Fruitless Fig Tree

In the Garden man formed fig leaves together to “cover” their nakedness before a righteous God. This was man’s first attempt at religion. God, quickly clothed them in”tunics of animal skins” to show that only blood could cover or “atone” for sins. When the Nation of Israel was in its glory under the reign of Solomon, Israel was a nation trusting in religion and every man “sat under Solomon’s fig tree”. Thus, the fig tree came to represent the Nation Israel – A nation under religion. One day when Jesus was hungry, he saw a fig tree but the fig tree had no fruit. Jesus cursed that fig tree and it withered and died. Religion produces NO fruit. After the death of Jesus, Israel would be banned from the land for 1,900 years and it would appear that the Church would replace Israel because the Church would have fruit. Unfortunately, the Church has been grafted from the same tree of religion. Today’s message will ask the question – Are we into a religion just like our sister Israel? Or, do we have a relationship with the True and Living God? Do we desire theblessings of our God or do we deserve the curses that He gave to the fig tree -Religion or Relationship?

 Pastor Wayne

You are the Light of the World

From the Pastor’s Desk
I find it interesting that in the creation story, the first thing that the Creator created was “Light”. Light is something while darkness is nothing. Without light, nothing can exist. Thus, light is the very source of life itself. The world in which we live was created when God spoke out of the Light into the darkness. The “Light” from which He spoke was in fact, the Creator Himself. HE IS “LIGHT”! Our Bible tells us, “The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John1:5). Understand: Man exists in two worlds – A physical world and a spiritual world. For the physical world, God allowed His Light into a world “void of form and darkness was on the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). God spoke into this darkness and created stars, including our sun, giving our world physical Light. Even greater than this, God sent His Son into this world to overcome the power of darkness giving our spiritual world “Life”. And, the Life that was within our Creator then became the “Light of men”. We can choose to walk
IN HIM WAS LIFE: either in the Light or in the darkness – Life or Death. Enjoy Rob’s message today,
I will see you next week.

Baptism


Today after service, we will be baptizing two people who have come to me asking to be baptized. I thought it apropriate to once again teach on this subject for today’s message. Did you know that the word “baptism” is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. Yet, upon the opening of the New Testament, the word is freely used by the Jewish community and a man named John “came baptizing”. Jesus, Himself was baptized by this man. There are three types of baptisms spoken of in the Bible: Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Baptism by John the Baptist and Water Baptism. The latter will be the subject of today’s message. Water Baptism is a commanded ordinance for all believers. Jesus wants us to identify with Him in both His death and His resurrection. Thus, when we go into the water and are fully immersed, we are symbolizing death to “self”. Wher we come out of the water, we are symbolizing that we are now walking in “the newness of life”. Jesus died and then Jesus rose to life! When w are baptized, we are saying to all those who are observing us, that “I chose to follow after Him who died and who rose for me”. Today, I will identify with my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hope For the Persecuted

What is Truth?

When bankers or retail clerks are taught how to identify a real $100 they do not study the counterfeit but rather the real thing. If you know the real $100 bill, the counterfeit becomes obvious. Last week my message was on the “Lie”, the counterfeit. My goal was then to move from the “Lie” to the “Truth”. Unfortunately, the “Lie” or counterfeit is more prevalent in our society than is the “Truth” and I became angry what the “Lie” is doing to our faith. Jesus told us that “The road is narrow that leads to life and there are few that find it”. I believe that most of us here, at our fellowship, have found that road. Jesus said, ” am the way, the truth and the life…No one comes to the Father except; through me. We study the “Truth”. However, when Pilate looked at Jesus he was looking at the “Way” to eternal life – He was looking at the “Truth”. Even so, Pilate was living in the “Lie”. He asked, what is “Truth”. It is difficult when we live in a counterfeit world to identify “Truth”. We must continue to study the real thing, the real “Truth” that we can quickly identify the counterfeit.

Parody of The Last Supper

If you are not believing in the truth, you are believing “the Lie”. Todays message will look to a prophecy in 2 Thessalonians which will be fulfilled during the Great Tribulation and the reign of the anti-christ. However, the fulfillment will require the hearts of people to believe the “Lie”. long before this end times scenario plays out. In fact. “the Lie” is the same lie that was believed back in the Garden, God said to Adam, that if he partook of a certain fruit he would die. The serpent (satan) told them “you shall surely not die”. Adam chose to believe “the Lie” and man has been dying ever since. Then, 2.000-years ago God sent His Son to die in our place, promising that anyone who trust in Him shall not die but have everlasting life. You see, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Yet, for 6.000-years most of man has continued with the original lie and has not believed on the Truth. Unfortunately, many of the people whom we love and know also believe in “the Lie”. We wonder, how some people in society cannot look and see the truth – The answer is simple, they are not only BELIEVING IN THE LIE , “the Lie” they are living in “the Lie” and they will eventually die in “the Lie”.

Pastor Basye

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Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1:3-5 – 3 Then the word of the Lord came by

Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves in our era temple 01 God to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Consider your ways!

Haggai 1:7-8 – 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 -18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you

Bless and be blessed, curse and be cursed

Our Christian faith has its roots in Judaism and the Old Testament is the platform of the New Testament. We often forget this very truth as we press forward in our Christian faith. Our Bibles actually call the Nation of Israel “the apple of God’s eye” and/or “His chosen people”. Yet, Israel has a big problem! They rejected Jesus as the Messiah and as a nation, their traditional position is that the Messiah is yet to come. Thus, the Jewish people are lost. Praise God that there are people in this world like Richard and Oanh Hill who have dedicated their lives to the ministry of showing the Jewish people that Jesus was and is that promised Messiah. Their daily lives are spent seeking out the Jewish people and presenting Jesus to them. They know that the only way to escape what is coming soon to our planet (a great tribulation) is to accept Jesus Christ as not only Messiah but Lord and Savior. When they do accept Jesus into their lives, they are now part of His church, just like we are. Today we have the pleasure to hear from Dr. Richard Hill as he tells us not only what is currently happening in Israel but also, what is to come.

Life and Death

God. The consequence for violating even one commandment is death The wages of sin is death! But God wants us to live. However, God does not want us to “live in sin”. Therefore, God created a system for the Israelites that would cover or “atone” for their sins. This system of animal sacrifice pointed forward to the Messiah – The One whom God promised back in the Garden – The One who would solve the sin problem. In order to solve that sin problem in your life, you must have faith in Him and be willing to turn from those sins. The choice is yours! Today, we look at the only 2 choices that are given to mankind. Those choices are: “Life or death”. All of us can choose either life or death but life only comes through the Man, Jesus Christ. We must accept Him if we are to be saved from our certain death. Thus, God to says to all in Deuteronomy 30: 19, “Choose Life”. Choosing life does not simply mean “I want to live”, it means trusting in the One who can give you life, life eternal. “In Him  Choose life.  was life and the life was the Light of Men”.

Following Jesus

There are many topics from which to choose to bring from the pulpit, none of which could be more applicable than today’s message. Anyone claiming to be a Christian but does not follow the teachings and directives of Jesus is very misled. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:17, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”. In order to “follow Jesus” one must be saved. In order to be saved, one must repent of their sin. Repenting means to turn from your ways. When one turns from their ways, they are now ready to “follow Jesus’ way”. Too many people today claim their Christianity but never change their direction or their ways. Jesus is very patient, kind and loving – He is not willing that any should perish. However, scripture is very clear – Jesus wants for us to “pick up our cross (die to self daily) and follow Him. To be a true disciple of

Jesus Christ, we must follow Him – We must do the things He tells us to do. Today, Pastor Don’s message will be an eye opener for all. I exhort everyone to pay attention – Follow Jesus!

I AM

Pastor’s Desk

We In Exodus 3:14, Moses asked God, (who was speaking to him from a burning bush), what is your name? God answered and said, “I AM WHO I AM”. This name is expressed in the Hebrew text as YHWH or YEHWEH or in the Greek as JEHOVAH. The name that God gave to Moses denotes self-identity and self-efficiency – God has no beginning, God has no end, God is eternal. Only the Creator of all things can claim the identity of “I Am”. All of creation is in debt to Him for their very existence. Still, there are many who deny that Jesus ever claimed this same deity. Obviously, they have never read John 8:58. In that passage, which depicts Jesus speaking to unbelieving pharisees, Jesus accurately told them “Before Abraham was, I AM”. Jesus claimed the exact name as the God of the burning bush – The self-existence of the One God of the universe. Today, we will look closely at 7 more powerful “I AM statements” withing the Book of John which should end all doubt as to who Jesus was and is. He is the omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent God who came to earth because of His love for you and for me.

The Woke Church

We are living in the last of what our Bible calls “the Last Days”. As we look out at the world in which we live, we see a church looking much like that world. This should not be! The Book of James tells us that “to be a friend of the world makes us an enemy of God”. And, 2 Timothy tells us that “in the Last Days perilous times will come”. Those times are upon us. This world has become WOKE – A term that many of us do not even understand. Yet, this term is “worming” its way into the Churches and without realizing its meaning, our churches are looking more and more like the world of which the Bible warns us. Several months ago I spoke on “The WOKE Church” and its implications to our very salvation. Today, I bring you Part Il of this same subject. Let everyonebe aware, it is impossible to understand what is happening to the Church without understanding what is happening in the world. However, we,  who desire to spend eternity with the

True and Living God, must put off  this “Woke enemy” of our soul. We cannot  do that until we understand what WOKE is and from where it came.

Memorial Day Remember

Tomorrow is Memorial Day – A Day to remember all those who died that we might have the freedoms which we enjoy as Americans. As we thank all those who have given their all, we are reminded of another One who also gave His all that we might experience ultimate freedom. That freedom is not just for any particular nation but extends to all men everywhere. It was the Man/God, Jesus Christ who died on a Roman cross to attain our freedom from the penalty of sin. That penalty was death – Eternal death. So many times, we celebrate His resurrection (and rightfully so) but we need to remember that He died before He rose. It was the death of Jesus that paid for our sins. “We owed a debt we could not pay; He paid a debt He did not owe”. And, Jesus, the One who died commanded us to remember Him each and every time we take of our Holy Communion. In the same way, tomorrow we celebrate Remembrance Day (Memorial Day) as we remember all those who gave us the very right to remember Him who died for our sins. Today we remember Jesus, tomorrow we remember those also gave their all.

Pentacost

Today is Pentecost! Pentecost is the 4th Feast that God commanded for His people Israel. It was also the second time that all adult males were to pilgrimage to Jerusalem. God boldly states in His Word that “These are My Feasts” and these are His “Appointed Times”. He will show up for

His Appointed Times. He showed up at Passover as the Sacrificial Lamb – He showed up at the Feast of Unleavened Bread as He lay in the grave for two Sabbaths. And He showed up on the Festival of First Fruits as He rose from the grave. Then, 50 days after, He showed up again in the person of the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost. On that day, the Church began and the apostles were baptized with the power of the

Holy Spirit and they were given power to move forth to spread the Good News of Salvation. The power that these apostles were given is the same power that you and I have available to us right now. That Spirit has been placed in our hearts and our bodies became the temple of the Holy

Spirit. Today, as we celebrate the day that the

WALK IN THE Church began, let us ask ourselves what are we doing with His Holy Spirit?

Blessings on Mothers day

Motherhood today has often come under attack in the woke world – A world that changes motherhood into a birthing process and mothers into the birthing parent. Most messages that will be given today will of course be on the Virgin Mother Mary. After all, the Bible does declare that she is “the most blessed of all women”. Other messages taught on this day often focus on Adam’s wife, Eve. Not only does the Bible tell us that Eve was the first woman, she was also the first mother and given the title of “Mother of all the Living”. There are many great women/mothers in the Bible but the one we will focus on today will be the one described in Proverbs 31 – “The Virtuous Woman”. This chapter describes a wife/mother who meets all the requirements of all God and man. She is the ideal, perfect mother. As we look into the heart of God and see His idea of a perfect mother, I find it interesting that most husbands would claim that the perfect woman was the one they married many years ago. Does the perfect mother exist? All women should be content with what they have been given from God. However, all should strive to be that Proverbs 31 women.

Hate

If you are a Christian or a Jew, there is a world out there that not only hates you but wants to kill you. Jesus said “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The Bible, which is the Word of God, is a love story from God to the world. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…that the world through Him might be saved”. But the world rejected that “gift” and chose to hate the One who gave it. Do not be fooled this world that is turning against God’s children Israel, will soon turn that hatred toward you the Christian – First the Jew then the Christian. Last week we watched a documentary showing us how a Christian nation, Germany, persecuted and killed over 6 million Jews. What happened 80 years ago is now beginning to happen in our nation and in some of the churches today. Our enemy, the devil, has been here since the beginning of time and he comes only to “steal, kill and to scheme, cling to the precious blood of Christ for our strength.

WOKE

There is a movement within the churches of America that is rooted in pure evil. This movement is called “wokeness” and is represented as “DEI” – Diversity – Equity – Inclusion. It comes to us with the broader title of “social justice”. The world saw the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s using DEI in a different form and we saw this used again soon after in communist China. We think of this as a political movement and it most definitely is. However, a political agenda that infiltrates the very basics of our spiritual beliefs is now knocking on the door of the American Church. The parallel between the German church of the 1930’s and our churches today cannot be dismissed. The churches today are turning away from traditional Christian values and are following the worldly political agenda. Our churches are in need of a “wake up”, not a “woke up”. Germany was a strong Christian nation, yet, in less than 10 years of social reform, this same group of people were standing by while millions of Jews were executed. Today, we will watch a documentary – “The Letter to the American Church” – Church pay attention! 

Passover

The Jewish Passover this year will fall on Tuesday, April 23rd. Passover always falls on a full moon and on the 14th day of the first Jewish month of Nisan. This Feast was given to the Jewish Nation, Israel, by God as a reminder of how He brought His people, Israel, out from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Once every year the Jews were commanded and committed to retell the story of that great event. Passover is a preparation day for the Feast of Unleavened Bread which follows immediately on the 15th day of Nisan and that day is always a Sabbath. Following the Sabbath is a third Feast which is called “the Festival of First Fruits”. All 3 Feasts run concurrent for a period of 8 days. These Feasts are of the upmost importance to us as Christians. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, died as the Passover Lamb for the sins of the world on Passover. He was in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights during the Feasts of Unleavened Bread. And, He rose from the dead on the Festival of First Fruits. Our Savior comes to us via the Jewish celebration of Passover.

Peter Forgiven

Have you ever done something for which you have eternal regrets? – Something in your life that you wish you could erase, but you cannot? Peter was a follower, a disciple and an apostle of Jesus and yet, he denied even knowing Him 3 times. Imagine the guilt! That guilt was most likely mixed with joy when Jesus rose from the grave. He had not just denied a beloved friend but the Savior of the world – The guilt must have been overwhelming. What Peter was to soon realize was that God’s forgiveness is greater than even the worst of our sins and forgiveness trumps guilt. The story of the forgiveness and restoration of Peter is in our Bibles for a very good reason. There is a lot of “Peter” in all of us. We have all fallen short of our commitment to Christ. Also, we feel that we have fallen from His grace and mercy. However, Philippians teaches us that it is “God who began a good work in us and He will complete it until the Day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). The forgiveness and restoration of Peter is our example of God’s unwavering love, grace and mercy. 

Road To Emmaus

On the first day of the week, Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the grave, He made several appearances. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene then to “the other women” who went with Mary to tell the disciples. Then Peter and John both ran to the tomb and found it empty. Jesus later appeared at other times over a period of 40 days. However, on that Sunday, the day He rose, He joined two men as they were walking, returning from Jerusalem to their small town of Emmaus, some 7 miles outside of Jerusalem. Not knowing that it was Jesus, these two men heard the risen Savior explain “why the Christ, the Messiah, should have “suffered these things and to enter into His Glory”. Luke’s account of this conversation only tells us that Jesus then began with Moses and all the prophets and began to “expound” to them, all scripture concerning Himself. We are not told the precise scriptures that Jesus referred to on that day. However, we have God’s word, the Bible, at our fingertips. So today, we will attempt to search for these very scriptures of which Jesus, “expounded” to these two men on the “Road to Emmaus”