Life on Earth is full of trials, hardships, sadness, disappointments, and pain. The older you become, the more you will see these things. The apostle Paul, however, helps us to keep these troubling realities of life in their proper perspective. In Romans 8:18 he wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Paul was essentially saying, “Yes, I understand that life involves significant suffering. But when you lay it alongside the glory that will one day be ours in eternity, it doesn’t even register on the scale.” If fact, God will use these difficult situations and experiences in our lives for our good, and one day (not so very long from now) every wrong in our lives will be righted. Pains will be healed, sorrow will be eradicated, and God will make up for all that we have lost here on Earth. Again, Paul gives us a perspective that will help us walk through our troubles and heartaches found in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever” (The Message). It all boils down to this: No matter how much you try, you can’t control all of the events and circumstances in your life. Pain and sorrow will come knocking on your door in some way whether you like it or not. So how are you going to deal with it? Will you allow it to embitter you, sidetrack you, or put you under a permanent cloud, or will you use it for God’s glory? How do you do that? That’s a great question. I will use two names to answer that, Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic. Joni, as a 17 year old teenager, dove in a shallow body of water that broke her neck. As a result, she will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair as a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. She is now 74 years old. Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. Both Joni and Nick have turned a disability into an ability. They have not wasted their pain but have turned their lives over to the Lord and continue to trust and obey Him. They have impacted millions of people for the Lord. I can’t imagine the countless lives that would not have been touched if they chose to live in bitterness, underneath their pain. To think that all the pain and tragedies of this world does not begin to compare with the wonders God has waiting for us just around the corner, in Heaven. The hope of Heaven helps us to become heavenly minded no matter how great the pain, loss, or disillusion. Spend some time pondering the things to come as we endure times of trial on this side of Heaven. Heaven will be for eternity while we spend just a small portion of our life on this Earth. Speaking of Heaven, I believe we had a very small taste of heaven during our Night of Worship. I enjoy so much hearing the testimonies of new life and seeing the Family of God encourage and inspire one another. I am so glad I am part of the Family of God. May God continue to show us His glory as we give Him all glory and honor. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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This Sunday night we will be coming together for a time of worship and celebrate 9 baptisms. The Spirit of God is always evident in our service and people come away personally touched in a powerful way. Plan to make this a priority as we gather in the name of Jesus.
Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul says about baptism. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. - Romans 6:1-6 First of all, Paul is being clear on the fact that those who are followers of Jesus Christ have died to sin. He admonishes us to not go back there again. Baptism is a big part of this testimony in our life. All of us have a story of how we came to know Christ. This is part of our identity in Christ. I am so glad God loves us so much that He pursues us with an everlasting love. No matter where we have been in life, there is nothing that will keep God away from chasing after us with His perfect love. As we approach the baptism waters that have been prepared for us, we quickly are reminded that only God can accomplish this. It is through the power of the blood of Jesus that we can be buried with Him and then be raised from the dead to walk in newness of life. We were dead in our sins and now we live in victory. This is accomplished by trusting Jesus, putting our whole faith in Him, and then obeying what He says. Do you realize how blessed we are that we have His words written down for us to know Him through and through? I want to encourage you to come and experience this service as God will be speaking to each one of us who attend. We should never stop maturing in our faith and opening ourselves up for God to speak to us. I also encourage you to check out the 90 Hour Bible Reading and Prayer happening at Dorney Plaza in downtown Findlay. You can click here to sign up, read Scripture, and pray. This is all leading up to the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 2. Let’s come together and really cover our community in prayer. I pray that the Lord will blanket your day with many reminders of His love and provision today. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Let me encourage you today from the Psalms!
Psalm 34:4-7 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. It’s always good to go to God’s Word when in trouble, in uncertain times, in between a rock and a hard place, even when you are not experiencing any adversity. As I mentioned on Sunday, those who thirst and overcome by the blood of the Lamb will be right where they need to be as well as know where they are headed for eternity. Be encouraged today and know that God is in control. All He asks is for us to trust and obey. I will gladly do that to be under His care and protection. I have three things I would like to share with you all. They are all important but not everyone will attend each one, but you can pray for each one. One will be for men only, one will be for those who need to take a next step in their faith journey, and one will be an opportunity to serve and be used to glorify the Name of Jesus. Are you ready to hear what exciting things are going to happen in the next week and a half? Are you sure? Tonight at 6:00pm, I will be meeting with those who want to know more about Believer’s Baptism scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at 6:00pm. We will meet in Room 104. If you have not been baptized and you are a follower of Christ, I invite you to come to the class. The second event is the Men’s Legacy Breakfast on Saturday at 7:00am. We will come together for a delicious breakfast and hear faith journey stories. It is always good to encourage and be encouraged as we grow together to be more like Christ. Thirdly, we are calling Saturday, April 27 Serve Day because we have two opportunities to serve alongside of each other as a church. Twice Blessed and Backyard Mission Trip. Come and serve on one of these teams and get to know other people from the church as you do. We are praying for maximum impact on this day. It will be an enriching time together. You will be able to sign up for these two great opportunities on Sunday. May God bless you in your endeavors today. I am looking forward to serving alongside of you. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike “9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless…” 2 Chronicles 16:9
Another word for blames is whole, or loyal. So, when God finds a loyal heart, or one that is solely set on Him, His eyes cease their running and bear down with focused interest on the one who is committed to Him. When the Lord’s eyes are set on you, it comes with strength. His favor, mercy, faith, grace, compassion, and wisdom fall fresh on the one who is soled out. God will show Himself strong in the life of the devoted. I don’t know of a hungry believer that does not want to experience all of God in that way. But there is one thing to also know. Along with God’s gaze of favor, what accompanies that is his eyes of fire. Fire speaks of His passion, His intensity, but also His thoroughness. He is all consuming. Along with the strength of the Lord is the sifting of the Lord. Do you know that if there is anything that ever tries to come into your spirit or mind, that the Lord will quickly point that out to you. It is our job to resist the temptation to entertain whatever it is that is trying to distract us. David prays in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” He is inviting God to know what he cares about, what makes him anxious. When God is invited to do so I can guarantee that He will do just that. According to how you are living, then you may face some difficult days. If you are living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit will determine the result of the search. Paul says, “3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” Romans 6:3-4. This is not allowing anything contrary to the Spirit of God to take residence in our thoughts. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to in. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” Romans 6:5-14. Child of God, you have been set free from the reign and rule of sin. Our deliverance is through our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. When we are in Christ, then we died along with Him. Sin no longer reigns in our life. We can now resist sin because we are no longer living in or from it. I pray for you to walk upright today realizing that God’s eyes are upon you giving you strength to obey Him in all things. God won’t resist for you, you must resist. But He’s done the best thing by giving us the power to say “no” to sin. Praise God! I am looking forward to a great day on Sunday as we look at Revelation 21. If you are able to help us on Saturday (9am-1pm) for the church workday, call or text the church office at 419-422-8660. There are several jobs to choose from. Pizza will follow our work together. Join us! Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
My identity in Christ in the most important thing about me. Everything else pales compared to the richness Jesus provided for me, helps me to respond in grace to every situation I find myself in. The Son of God provides everything I need to be reconciled to God and to others. We did not just come through a historical event this Easter, we saw the power we have available to each one of us who walk in obedience to a Holy God. This Easter we set another attendance record of 761 in-person worship. There was a total of 785 including those online. There were 38 who checked the box, “I’m beginning a real relationship with Jesus today as my King.” God is so good! We are excited for all the things He is doing in and through this church. I want to encourage you to sign up for our World Missions Weekend. Click here or call the church office to add your family to the list. We will be focusing in on Appalachian Reach Out located in Kentucky and West Virginia. There will also be a special kid’s choir from our Promise Land sharing with us as well as a delicious meal. All of this will be on Saturday night, April 6 at 5:30pm. Come and see what God is doing around the world. Another exciting thing happening is our New Building Addition and Renovation. They began putting up drywall this week. I love seeing the progress happening. It just reminds me of how God continues to renew us and give us new families to have a wider reach and impact in our community and beyond. My heart is overflowing at God’s many wonders. Look at Psalm 66:1-9 as we continue to see God’s hand at work. 1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah 5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, 7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, 9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike As we continue to journey through Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday), we pause to reflect on the garden of Gethsemane. It is at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus told the disciples, “sit here while I go over there and pray” (Matthew 26:36). He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and the Scripture says that Jesus began to be sorrowful and troubled. As He went a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
The weight of the sin of the world Jesus will bear was beginning to take a toll on His Spirit. I believe the spiritual warfare was even felt by the disciples as they could not stay awake. There is something significant about gardens. It was at the garden of Eden that the first Adam’s fall occurred. It is at the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus, the second Adam, enters to do battle for the souls of men and women through all generations. It was this second garden Jesus begins the preparation to bring sinful man back in relationship with a Holy God. From the tree in the middle of Eden to the tree in the middle of Good Friday, we see Jesus paying the price for our sin. He was not only nailed to the cross but our sins were nailed to Him. Jesus was all about doing the will of the Father. “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book” Hebrews 10:7. This is the example we are to follow. I encourage you to Pray and seek the Will of God as you seek the Lord with all your heart this week. We want to encourage you to come and be a part of an Upper Room Experience held in the Worship Center on Thursday for 30 minutes. There are three times you can choose from, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, or 6:30pm. Bring your friends and family to go through this together. Then on Easter Sunday at 9:15am and 10:45am, we will gather to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. It is going to be a powerful Sunday. If you attend the first service, plan to eat breakfast in the Family Life Center before you leave. If you attend the second service, come early and eat breakfast before worship. The breakfast will begin at 10:00am and go until 11:00am. Our children will be in Powerplant for both hours. Instead of adding another service this year, we decided to create an overflow. Would you be willing to move into the overflow section located in Room 104 if we have limited seating? After the service begins, be mindful and willing to give up your seat for someone new that morning. I am confident that it is going to be a great day! Pray with me that God will speak to so many leading up to this Resurrection Sunday. I am looking forward to being with all of you. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6 The whole purpose of our salvation is that we be “holy and blameless before God.” To continue to live in sin as a Christian, is to live in contrary to God’s very purpose for our salvation. Holiness is not necessary as a condition of salvation because that would be salvation by works. Holiness is a byproduct of a new life in Christ. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross and the resurrection, He has defeated death and the grave so we can experience the holiness of God. With that in mind, look at what Paul says, 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14 At salvation, we not only receive forgiveness for our sins, but we also experience freedom from sin’s dominion. We receive a new life of desire to be pleasing to God. Everyone, then, who professes to be a Christian should ask themselves these questions: Is there evidence of the holiness of God in my life? Do I desire to strive after holiness? The goal of a holy life is not to blend into the world, rather, it is to be set apart by God to do works of righteousness. I pray that as we enter into this Easter season, that God help me to love others more, serve them more, and reflect a Jesus in all of my conversations. May our lives be characterized by the holiness of God and when you invite someone to church in the next few weeks, they will be drawn to say yes. I am looking forward to Palm Sunday with the Body of Christ. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Hate is such a strong word. I remember when I was a young teenager, being scolded for saying that I hated someone. Now grant it, hating people is not suggested in any situation. But I remember being told not to even use the word in a sentence. “We don’t hate!”
Now fast forward to today. What are your thoughts on the word, “hate”? Did you know that when it comes to God’s attitude toward sin, only a strong word like “hate” conveys His thoughts on the matter? 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” Zechariah 8:17 Hatred is a legitimate emotion when it comes to sin. In fact, the more we grow in the holiness of God, the more we hate sin. We’re allowed to hate? Look what David says on the matter, Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:104 A perfect hatred toward sin grew up in David’s life. One translation says, “I hate every wrong path.” So the more of the holiness of God we experience, the more we view things like God. The more we see through the eyes of a Holy God, the deeper we experience the godly emotion that is accompanied. The more godly emotion, the deeper the hated of sin becomes evident to us. God has an infinite hatred toward sin. We often hear the phrase, “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.” That is so true. But we can’t rush into the second part of that phrase and forget that God actually hates it when we sin. God hates our lustful thoughts, our pride, our temper, or the rationalization we go through when excusing certain things that may have a good outcome. God does not overlook sins from certain people because they have a good heart. As a matter of fact, God looks more critically at those who are teachers than those who are not. Living in the holiness of God is raising the bar and submitting to the high standard God calls us to. God cannot hold us to a lower standard. It goes against His own holiness. He is not waiting for you to fail. He is waiting for you to die to your own desire and pride and humble yourself before His holiness and let it wash through you. 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 1 Peter 1:16-17 Father, forgive me for the times I half heartily lived in a hazardous way, not seeing that the things I do matter to you. I want to be more aware of the sin that so easily entangles and grow a perfect hate for the things that pull me away from You. Teach me and show me the things I dwell on that are not pleasing to You. In Jesus name I pray – Amen! Look for the things Jesus so graciously reveals to you for your benefit and His glory today. I am looking forward to a great day on Sunday. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Whenever people see the word perfect or holiness, people begin to shut down thinking that it isn’t possible so why put such a lofty goal before you. It is treated like one of those conditions you will never be able to achieve in this lifetime so why bother reading. Now you are seeing me use both of those words in the title of this devotional thought. Some have not even read to this point because they don’t want to disappoint themselves. So if you have made it thus far, congratulations. Let’s read on. But before you do, make sure you are not reading this with anyone else in mind but yourself. Don’t apply it to anyone else but you.
“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” 2 Corinthians 7:1. Ron Hutchcraft, a well-known author and speaker, suggests using five questions to ask yourself and keep you from contaminating your mind and keep you from “perfecting holiness.”
The Apostle Paul echoed these questions in 2 Corinthians 7:1 where he speaks of our obligation to purify ourselves out of reverence for God. It is always good to run the things you are involved in through a filter in order to live a life worthy of the calling God places on all of our lives – to live a life pleasing to God. If you wear the label, “Christian” or “Follower of Jesus Christ,” then it is worth it all to do whatever you can to live out the name of Jesus. You may not be able to please everyone with everything you do, but you don’t have to give people any ammunition to accuse you of thoughtless choices. Next week we will begin to feel our new addition as well as the renovation that will be happening in our nursery and toddler rooms. Be patient with us as we change things around to accommodate the changes. Let’s work together to make more space for our future generations. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike A farmer has learned a pattern that will reap the most benefits each year. The more he does it the more he perfects it. He plows his fields, sows the seed, fertilizes, and cultivates in order to have the best results. Now he is totally dependent on forces outside of himself. He knows he cannot cause the seed to germinate, nor can he produce the rain and sunshine for growing and harvesting the crop. For a successful harvest, he is totally dependent on these things from God.
There is one thing he knows – If he does not diligently pursue his responsibility to plow, plant, fertilize, and cultivate, he cannot expect a good harvest at the end of the season. The farmer cannot do what only God can do, and God will not do what the farmer should do. That is just like the pursuit of holiness. It is a joint venture between God and the Christian. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” It is clear that we will not see God without holiness. I would like to add that no one will experience holiness without God. God is holy and we only attain holiness through Him. It is not something we earn, just like we don’t earn our salvation. God is the main ingredient. We also have a part in attaining it. God makes it possible because if we put forth the effort and do not have God, then holiness is unattainable. He has given us the responsibility of doing the walking; He does not do that for us. Look what Paul says to the believers in Ephesus: 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24 Did you see it? They are to practice every kind of purity, put off the old self, be renewed, and put on the new. That sounds like effort to me. Yes, Jesus defeated sin on the cross and gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously, but don’t forget that we are responsible to walk in righteousness. God provides us all we need to walk responsibly toward holiness. That is what we refer to as striving for or the pursuit of holiness. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we should never grow tired of the journey of grace we are on. What a privilege to it is to be on this journey together. I want to take this concept and slowly unpack it in the weeks ahead. Make it into bite size portions so we can chew on it together. May God continue to strengthen for the task of this day before you as you get to know Him more and more each day. I am looking forward to a great day on Sunday as we come together and worship the King of kings. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike |
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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