Needmore Bible Church

SUNDAY – DECEMBER 29, 2013

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! May the joy we have just celebrated during Christmas and the wonderful love of our Savior stir up our hearts that we might know that we have been with the Lord. He has come to be with us in a very special and personal way.

The incarnation of God, God becoming human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ is the most unique and spectacular announcement the world could ever hear. Coming to a personal understanding of this historical fact is transformational, life-changing for all who believe. God wants all of us to meet Him in person! The following is what A. W. Tozer wrote about this truth over a half-century ago.

     “’He came.’ I confess that I am always struck with the wonder and the significance of the limitless meaning of those two words from John 1:11. In them is the confirmation of the Incarnation- God come in the flesh. Within them the whole scope of divine mercy and redeeming love is outlined.

     “All of the mercy God is capable of showing, all of the redeeming grace He could pour from His heart, all of the love and pity He is capable of feeling- all of these are at least suggested in the message ‘He came.’

     “Beyond that, all the hopes and longings and aspirations, all of the dreams of immortality that lie in the human breast- all had their fulfillment in the coming to earth of Jesus, the Christ and Redeemer.

     “The coming of Jesus Christ into this world represents a truth more profound than any philosophy. All of the great thinkers of the world together could never have produced anything even remotely approaching the wonder and profundity disclosed in the message of these words: ‘He came.’

     “The words are wiser than all learning. Understood in their high spiritual context, they are more beautiful than all art, more eloquent than all oratory, more lyric and moving than all music. They tell us that all of mankind, sitting in darkness, has been visited by the Light of the World!

     “We are too passive about what this really means. It’s the grandest story of the ages, yet many of us sit and listen, and then we yawn and inwardly confess, ‘I am bored.’

     “The reason?

     “We have heard it so many times that it no longer means to us what it should.”

I have a living and present Savior,

Pastor Doug

DECEMBER 22, 2013

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

“Lift up your heads, O you gates!  And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.”   Psalm 24:7-10

I thank Him for Giving Life,

Pastor Doug

DECEMBER 15, 2013

The Third Sunday in Advent

We joyfully welcome all who have come to celebrate God’s best gift to us all, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Let every voice be lifted up in praise and singing as we focus on the Prince of Peace, the Light of the World! Let’s extend our hand in good will and fellowship as we greet one another.  Let’s remember that “We love Him because He first loved us.”  (I John 4:19)

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year that can cause mixed emotions and actions. On the one hand, there does seem to be more kindness and goodwill expressed throughout our world. Yet on the other hand, many people may seem to be very irritable and large numbers of folks seem under a lot of stress and strain. It is possible to hear greetings of holiday cheer and expressions of anger and frustration in the same conversations. This is to be a season of light, and yet despair leads many to the darkness of depression and even self-destruction. The challenge to those of us who know the Savior, the real reason for the season, is to “let our lights shine before men” so they can see the hope and joy we have in Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible, there is a consistent message given to God’s people about their unique role in this world. The message can be summed up in the words, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.” (See Isaiah 52:11 and I Corinthians 6:17.) God’s people are to be different from the world around them. Christians should be distinct in their attitudes, behavior and words. Paul wrote to the Philippian believers, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” (2:14, 15) We must not become irritable and depressed by the negative that exists in the world.

How is Christmas affecting you so far this year? Are you allowing yourself to be pushed by the winds and whims of the culture? Are commercialism, materialism and scrooge-ism impacting you? God is calling us to be different from the rest of the world, especially at this time of celebration. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and not become distracted by anything that does not add to the joy of Christmas!

Looking unto Jesus,

Pastor Doug

The First Sunday in Advent

December 1, 2013

Welcome to this first Sunday in the 2013 season of Advent. Even though God had given many announcements about the coming of the Messiah, His first appearing seemed to come suddenly and with surprise. While we can and do expect God’s presence to bless our normal gatherings for times of worship, let’s look for an unexpected “appearing” of His presence during this special time of year.

 This year’s Advent theme is “Prepare the way of the Lord.” It is our intention to do everything in our power to make the Lord Jesus Christ welcome in our world. The manifestation of His Presence and our experience of His Presence will be more obvious to all of us as we make proper preparations. We should think about how we often get ready when we know that company is coming to visit. It is a common practice for individuals, families and even communities to put things in order for visitors, especially when the visitor happens to be a special dignitary. Isaiah was picturing the coming of the great King, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world as he wrote those words, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

 The prophet, Isaiah was quoted by John the Baptist in proclaiming the manner in which we can prepare the way for the Lord. The first step is to “fill up every valley.” We should examine our hearts to discover the “low places” that are empty and need filled in. We must fill in the gaps of our spiritual lives caused by indifference to the King and His agenda. It is very easy to put all our concern and energy in the trappings of this season and lose sight of our Lord.

The most important and a foundational item to take care of is being sure we want Him to come. Even if all outward and physical items are set in order, a visitor can detect whether or not the hosts really want him with them. In fact, a visitor can overlook many physical inconveniences if there is a genuine delight demonstrated in the hearts of the hosts. Certainly the Lord Jesus knows our hearts better than we know them ourselves. Jesus wants to be wanted! Let’s develop a hunger for His Presence.

Hungering for Him,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 24, 2013

The author of Psalm 42 wrote, “I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise.”(v. 4b) He remembered joining a crowd walking to the house of God “with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving.” May the same kind of joy be ours as we approach the throne of grace to worship our Creator. Let our voices resound with many thanksgivings today and always!

Thanksgiving Day. He addressed this to the citizens of the United States and issued it as a call for a solemn assembly when all people in the nation would seek God through prayer. Here is a portion of that 1863 proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God…. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

Oh, that God would call us back to Himself in such a clear manner that no citizen of this great nation could misunderstand. Let’s pray for God’s continued mercies and beg His forgiveness of our personal and “national” sins! May He send revival to our nation!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 17, 2013

Understanding the character and nature of God causes a person to want to worship Him. That is why David wrote, “I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.” (Psalm 57:9-11)

The biblical record demonstrates that God does not sit silently in the heavens. God has always been “speaking” to His creation, and especially to us who have been created in His image. He desires for us to hear His voice and to communicate with Him. The Bible declares, “God…at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” (Hebrews 1:1, 2) Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd Whom “…the sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out…the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.” (John 10:3, 4) God is speaking. We must ask ourselves if we are listening.

Mr. A. W. Tozer wrote, “We may use the past tense properly to indicate that at a certain time a certain word of God was spoken, but a word of God once spoken continues to be alive.” (According to Hebrews 4:12, Tozer is correct!)  Tozer also wrote, “If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.”

Perhaps we should use the prayer that Tozer suggested: “Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, ‘Speak, for thy servant heareth.’” He also prayed, “Lord, let me hear Thee in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of thy speaking voice. Amen.”

When God’s people begin to listen carefully to the voice of God and respond to His leading, revival will happen.

Listening to Him,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 10, 2013

     David wrote, “I will praise You with my whole heart …and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth.”(Psalm 138:1, 2) We should gather with the same intention and motive- to offer whole-hearted worship to God. We come to experience His presence and learn His truth! Everyone is invited to join in!

We have often been warned to be careful about what we spend time looking at. Our visual intake does affect us in our soul. Jesus warned that the “light” that enters our eyes must not be “darkness,” because if it is, our “whole body will be filled with darkness.” Our “eye-gate” is often used in a powerful way to influence our thoughts, our appetites and our actions. We should discipline the gaze of our eyes in order to produce positive results in our lives, especially our spiritual lives.

Paul, the apostle instructed believers to “gaze” on Jesus. He wrote, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Corinthians 3:18) J. Oswald Sanders wrote about his experience of hearing a plain preacher speak on this verse.

We have gathered to “fix our eyes” on Jesus! Let’s keep looking unto Him!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 3, 2013

We are glad to have you join us today in praising God, in singing with David, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You have set Your glory above the heavens!”(Psalm 8:1) Let us express our worship through prayer, song, handclaps and shouts of joy! Our God is worthy of honor, glory and blessing!

Often people have used the words “I found it” to express the fact that they have entered into the experience of salvation. We understand what they are saying, but the reality is that God has always been the pursuer of people. God is the initiator of any relationship that we might “discover.” The words of A. W. Tozer might help us understand this more fully. He wrote, “The living God has been willing to reveal Himself to our seeking hearts, He would have us know and understand that He is all love and that those who trust Him need never know anything but that love.”  The Bible reveals this truth to us many times because God has always promised to “draw near” to those who seek Him.

Why do so many live without the reality of an experience of this loving relationship. It is never God’s fault! If we live “apart” from God, it is not because He has decided to turn away from us. The problem must be found in our own hearts which have “chased’ after” other things. God is always faithful to His promises and He will never turn away those who come to Him. Perhaps the following prayer written by Mr. Tozer can help us to discover a living relationship with our loving God.

     “O God and Father, I repent of my sinful preoccupation with visible things. The world has been too much with me. Thou hast been here and I knew it not. I have been blind to Thy presence. Open my eyes that I may behold Thee in and around me. For Christ’s sake, Amen.”

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 27, 2013

It is a good thing to gather with God’s people for the purpose of worship. There are other places a person could choose to be, but there are none better. “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10). Let’s rejoice in the goodness that we will discover in The Lord’s presence.

Before anyone can offer a prognosis and a treatment plan, a diagnosis must be made. Sometimes the process of making a diagnosis can be difficult on the patient. When the diagnostic results are negative, it can be very uncomfortable giving the patient the “bad news.” Probably there are very few people who have any desire to offer a negative diagnosis, yet the hope of treatment and healing can only happen with the knowledge of the problem. This is the way it is with the most basic of mankind’s needs. All people have a problem that only God can remedy, but being told about the problem can be uncomfortable!

     “When you deal with a sinner you must begin with the fact of sin. One man said about a preacher’s emphasis upon sin, ‘That man knows nothing about grace at all.’ He replied, ‘I know something about grace but I tell you that one way I know about grace is that I know what an awful hell-bound, hell-deserving sinner I was and how God saved me from the torments of the damned in hell. There is no grace unless there is sin first.’

     “The Bible preachers preached against sin. Elijah hated sin. He slew the prophets of Baal. Jeremiah preached against sin. He preached the words of God and they were words of condemnation against sin.

     “John the Baptist preached REPENT! He called sinners a generation of vipers and he warned them to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7-8). Jesus denounced sin saying, ‘you blind leaders of the blind, whited sepulchers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, serpents, generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell.’”    -John R. Rice

We must be honest with the world around us. We cannot “sugar coat” the truth about the wretched condition of the “natural man’s” heart. All have sinned! All are in need of repentance!

Let’s warn them,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 20, 2013

Welcome to this time of worship! The Lord’s presence is always with us, but He will “draw near” to those who seek Him through worship. Let’s call on His name and make a joyful noise with songs of praise and thanksgiving.

There are many “voices” in this world who claim to be speaking truth. Most of them are declaring that they are free, enlightened and open to all “new truth” as it is discovered. Many of these same “voices” want to reject the notion that truth is absolute and has already been revealed to us. The idea that “the old-time religion” could be truth is objectionable to these “modern minds.” They are offended when another dares to speak of “wrath,” “blood” and “salvation” as true and necessary for all mankind to respond to. How should we respond to these modern voices? Half of a century ago, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote about the “modern minds.”

     “We must go back to true authority, and that authority is to be found in this Apostle, a ‘called apostle,’ a man who was apprehended on the road to Damascus, and who says that the Gospel he preached was not given to him by men, neither was he taught it by men, but by the revelation of God; the one who does not hesitate to say, ‘If we or an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed’ (Galatians 1:8-9).

     “Let the moderns believe what they will. There is no Gospel apart from ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’- Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ‘Set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood,’ God ‘making Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him’ (II Corinthians 5:21).

    “That other teaching is not only entirely wrong; the Holy Spirit will not honour it. He cannot honour it. No one is ever converted by such preaching; and you will never get revival as the result of such preaching.” 

Let us hold to “the faith once delivered to the saints!” We will believe the Everlasting Gospel!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 13, 2013

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day…” (Luke 4:16) Many of us have gathered here in the same way that Jesus “went to church” during His lifetime, to seek God and offer our worship to Him. Let’s not shirk this opportunity to grow closer to our God and closer to those of like-minded faith.

Let’s open our ears to the voice of the Savior as He calls us to follow Him. The call to follow Him is not for just a few, special individuals, but it is spoken clearly to everyone who will listen. During the ministry of Jesus that is recorded in all four gospels, the call of Jesus to salvation was always a call to follow Him. Jesus never gave two separate calls. Mr. A. W. Tozer wrote about the practice of some preachers who have made a distinction between Jesus’ call to salvation and His call to discipleship. Mr. Tozer wrote that this is an incorrect interpretation of the Scriptures.

     “Now, I have heard that a Christian brother has said, ‘Tozer doesn’t distinguish between discipleship and salvation. You can be a Christian without being a disciple.’

     “Just let me ask: Who said that you can be a Christian without being a disciple? I don’t think you can be a Christian without being a disciple. The idea that I can come to the Lord and by grace have all of my sins forgiven and have my name written in heaven, and have a carpenter go to work on a mansion in my Father’s house, and at the same time raise hell on my way to heaven is impossible and unscriptural. It cannot be found in the Bible.

     “We are never saved by our good works, but we are not saved apart from good works. Out of the saving faith in Jesus Christ, there springs immediately goodness and righteousness. Spring is not brought by flowers, but you cannot have spring without flowers. It isn’t my righteousness that saves, but the salvation I have received brings righteousness.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 makes this truth abundantly clear!

Crying out for revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 6, 2013

World Communion Sunday

“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98:1-3) God does His mighty acts so that the whole world can see and know Him!

God has always accomplished His plan in and through the lives of broken and imperfect people. He continues to do the same today. Paul wrote, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (II Cor. 4:7) The Lord is Himself building His church in spite of our weaknesses and failures. Bishop Stephen Neill, a Scottish missionary to India in the last century wrote:

     “What is the situation of the Church today? We look out on disobedient churches and an unfinished task. What of the past? It can be summed up in two phrases. It is the history of disobedient churches and of an unfinished task.

Let’s celebrate the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the building of His Church universal!

I love His Church,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

When a person understands at least a small bit about the character and nature of God, he or she wants to worship Him. That is why David wrote, “I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.” Psalm 57:9-11)

One definition of revival is “God in the midst of His people.” Leonard Ravenhill used to say, “Revival is when God comes down.” We understand that God is always everywhere, or omnipresent, so He is always “in the midst of His people” and He certainly doesn’t need to “come down” since He is already here. What then is meant by such statements as these two definitions of revival? A. W. Tozer wrote, “The Presence of God and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His presence.” When revival does occur, we will know that God is with us and we will experience His manifest presence.

Mr. Tozer also wrote, “God’s highest desire is that every one of His believing children should so love and so adore Him that we are continuously in His presence, in Spirit and in truth.” We ought to be honest enough to admit that we haven’t loved and adored God as much as possible. Let’s be in constant prayer for His help to love Him more. Elizabeth Prentiss wrote these words for a hymn, “More love to Thee, O Christ, More love to Thee! Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee!” As our love for God increases and we express our devotion to Him more consistently, we will become more aware of His presence with us. God will draw near to us as we draw near to Him.

Oh, that we might experience a revival during which we live in His manifest presence!

I want revival,

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was praised with my tongue” (Psalm 66:16, 17). It is right and good when Christians use their mouth to speak of their God and declare to those who will hear what He has done for them. Let’s do no less than that right here “in church.”

It has been said that it is possible to argue with an argument, but you can’t argue with an experience. It is probable that one can argue even with this statement, but the notion that personal experience gives greater credence to any profession of truth should be obvious to all of us. This has been demonstrated by the words of the blind man whose miracle of receiving his sight is recorded in the ninth chapter of John. The following was written by James S. Stewart, a Scottish pastor, professor and author from early in the last century.

     “But the man himself was different. He refused to be intimidated or abashed, ‘All I know is this; once I was blind, now I can see.’ (John 9:25)

     “This was as much as to say- you can argue till Doomsday that nothing has happened. You can use all the syllogisms of your logic to demonstrate that the alleged power of Jesus is myth and moonshine and delusion. You can prove to your own satisfaction that I am nothing but the pathetic victim of an unintelligent hallucination. Talk of intelligence? It is you who are the unintelligent ones! Do you not know the difference between light and darkness? All your fine arguments are wrecked on this, ‘One thing I know, that whereas I was blind now I see.’

     “It is of course the unanswerable argument. If the Christian case were simply based on theory, it could doubtless by theory be demolished. If it were just a psychological phenomenon, the psychologists could tear it to shreds. But because it is based on actual events and history, on solid facts- lives redeemed, men made new, blindness turned to seeing- because of that, there is nothing that can shake it. It stands on its own.”

Share your personal testimony! Others might argue against it, but you will never be shaken when you know that you know!

Sure,

Pastor Doug

Grandparents’ Day

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

“I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” (Psalm 101:1, 2)

Within these first two verses of Psalm 101, we read a lament from the psalmist, David. He cried out to the Lord to ask Him about His manifest presence in his life. David prayed, “When will You come to me?” Now, we know that that God is “present” everywhere at all times. We also know that we can live without an actual experience of His presence. We refer to the experience of God as the “manifest presence” of God. It is possible that many of us are living without the experience of His “manifest presence.” This is what David’s heart-cry is all about! He didn’t think God had moved away, but he was keenly aware that something was blocking an experience of God’s “manifest presence.”

The second thing that comes from David’s bold prayer is what seemed to be important to David at that time. The first thought that he expresses after the prayer is the fact that he would start “at home.” He said, “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” We might normally think that the experience of God’s “manifest presence” is most likely to happen “at church.” It seems that David knew something important about the home. If one is not walking in God’s way in his or her family, then the likelihood is that he or she is not experiencing the “manifest presence” of God even though he or she is “in church.”

The first institution that God created was the home. God wants us to experience His “manifest presence” in an abiding way throughout our whole lives. Certainly the primary, foundational and most important part of our lives is our home. We must have homes that are consecrated to God. We must walk in the faith in our family lives. God “will come to us” when we make Him a part of our homes!

Seeking His “manifest presence,”

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

With gratitude we come to give thanks to the Lord for His boundless grace. As fellow pilgrims who stand in need of His grace, we extend the hand of fellowship and love to all who have come. We pray that we all will enter into the joy of the Lord as we worship and praise Him.

     “I’m not sure I can adequately describe Joe, This very elderly, stooped-over Jewish man was rejected by his family when he became a follower of Jesus Christ. He was a bit quirky and had very few possessions. In fact, everything he owned fit into a suitcase. When Joe needed a ride, he would call and say he ‘needed a little fellowship.’ That meant you were to pick him up, take him to church, and then perhaps buy lunch for him on the way home.

     “My greatest appreciation for Joe came during times of prayer with him. He never missed a prayer gathering, and, in private, he prayed through the church directory every week, name by name.

     “I don’t remember how I joined a little prayer group with Joe and two other friends. But for a season, we prayed in what we called ‘the upper room.’ It was a tiny storage closet above the baptistery. We had to climb very steep stairs to get there and then duck to avoid hitting our heads once we were in the room. Getting Joe up there always presented a challenge, but it was a prayer time- nothing could deter him!

     “In that upper room, we prayed for the church. We prayed for the salvation of the lost. We prayed for broken families. We asked the Spirit to do a fresh work in our congregation. Perhaps we were repeating some of the same prayers of the early believers in the original upper room.

     “Obviously it was not the room itself that made this prayer time special. It was because four people had something in common- we longed for Jesus to be powerfully manifested in our lives, church, and nation. Now I can look back and understand that praying with Joe, in all his quirkiness, was a privilege because Joe was completely devoted to his Lord. Joe’s life was permeated with prayer. It was simply what he did, day after day, without fail.”

Let’s pray for revival!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – AUGUST 25, 2013

“Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.” (Psalm 66:1, 2) Joyful, honor, and glorious are three words that should direct our minds as we come together to worship our great and awesome God.

I have been preaching messages on the theme of consecration. Commitment and sacrifice are a part of this theme and they lead one to obedience. The test of our personal consecration is found in our obedience to the Lord’s commands. By commands, I am not referring to the laws of God such as the Ten Commandments or the law of forgiveness. I am referring to obeying the present leading of God in our personal lives.

Many years ago, I was asked if I would like to join Men for Missions. I was told I could join by answering just three questions properly. I asked for the questions. They were presented to me as, “Will you do whatever God asks you to do? Will you go wherever God asks you to go? Will you give whatever God asks you to give?” The essence of these questions concerns my willingness to be obedient to the Lord’s commands. We can easily settle the answer by an act of consecration.

Read the following testimony of J. Hudson Taylor’s personal consecration. “Well do I remember, as in unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all upon the altar, the deep solemnity that came over my soul with the assurance that my offering was accepted. The presence of God became unutterably real and blessed. Though I was only a boy of fifteen, I remember stretching myself on the ground, and lying there silent before Him with unspeakable awe and unspeakable joy. For what service I was accepted I did not know; but a deep consciousness that I was no longer my own took possession of me, which has never since left me. Within a few months of this time of consecration the impression came into my souls that the Lord wanted me in China.”

The question that God asks of each of us is “Will you obey me?” Consecration requires a “yes” answer!

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – AUGUST 18, 2013

“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 gather to worship the God whose character is impeccable; every word that He has spoken has been proven true. We can depend on all that He has promised us! Hallelujah!

Can you “handle the truth?” It is probable that most people would like to say “yes” to that question. The realities of this world seem to indicate that few people “can handle the truth” in all of the circumstances of their lives. Falsehoods, half-truths, lying and misrepresentation have all become a large part of the fabric of our society. Today in our world, there are large numbers of people who aren’t even sure that there is such a thing as truth! Even among Christians, the sad reality is that holding strongly to the “whole truth, and nothing but the truth” is becoming more and more rare. Jesus taught that the one of the distinguishing marks of His disciples is truth. He prayed, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:16, 17)

     “What we need to restore power to the Christian testimony is not soft talk about brotherhood but an honest recognition that two human races occupy the earth simultaneously: a fallen race that sprang from the loins of Adam and a regenerate race that is born of the Spirit through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

     “To accept this truth requires a tough-mindedness and a spiritual maturity that modern Christians simply do not possess. To face up to it hardly contributes to that ‘peace of mind’ after which our religious weaklings blest so plaintively.

     “For myself, I long ago decided that I would rather know the truth than be happy in ignorance. I cannot have both truth and happiness, give me truth. We’ll have a long time to be happy in heaven.”

Brothers and sisters, we cannot have a revival without a renewed commitment to God’s Truth!

I want revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – AUGUST 11, 2013

“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. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:1-3). Let’s come into our time of worship with the same spirit that David expressed with these words.

Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). We must believe in the supreme ability of the gospel message to produce actual change, to bring real salvation into the lives of those who receive it. We must be confident in the gospel.

     “Living overseas doesn’t automatically make you faithful or bold. Even missionaries face the temptation to compromise or simply not talk about the Gospel. We can easily squander opportunities. We can be lazy in prayer and evangelism, while being diligent on secondary things like e-mail, planning, and Internet research. Meanwhile, people die without hearing the Gospel.

     “The Christian calling is quite simple: tell people the Gospel- the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We often think too hard about security or knowing the culture. For the Christian, disobedience is more painful than rejection. Will we do whatever it takes to reach people with the Gospel? We must ask ourselves, ‘How many people will hear the Gospel today in my city?’

     “Do we believe that something that sounds so ignorant, so naïve, so simple to some really has this transformational power? Or do we believe we must ask permission to share it or make it ‘more beautiful,’ as if that were possible? Jesus commanded us to go. Our mantra must simply be, ‘Just tell.’”

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – AUGUST 4, 2013

We gather to worship in this one place, yet we have a vision for the whole world! David declared, “All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, when they hear the words of Your mouth. Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord” (Psalm 138:4, 5). It is a great privilege to “hear” the words of God. Let’s listen very attentively to His Word.

We have been preaching, praying and seeking revival from God. We know that when He makes His manifest presence known to us, we will experience the revival we desire. It is clearly taught in the Bible that knowing God is the essence of a relationship with Him. We want Christian to know Him more intimately, and unbelievers to know Him for the first time. Jesus spoke in prayer, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus also taught that final judgment will be determined by the absence of His personal, intimate knowledge of those being judged. He said, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).

The good news is that we can know God just as we know other people. A. W. Tozer stated, “God can be known in personal experience. A loving Personality dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene.” Mr. Tozer also wrote, “The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing that comes within the field of their experience.”

The only question that needs to be asked is “Do I know the Lord?” If you are not sure about your experience and knowledge of Him, simply ask Him to make Himself known to you. Since He wants you to know Him, He will reveal Himself to you so you no longer doubt.

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JULY 14, 2013

Let’s all continue to cry out wholeheartedly, “Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved… Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:7, 18b-19) We are seeking the manifest presence of God so that the church might be revived! Let us come boldly before His throne of grace!

     “The turn of the twentieth century was marked by an unusual concern for spiritual matters. Believers throughout the world were moved to pray for revival. In November 1904, the Spirit of God began to stir in an extraordinary way in the hearts of believers throughout the principality of Wales. What transpired over the next several months was nothing short of supernatural.

     “Evan Roberts was one human instrument that God used in this season of revival. The fire of God burned in the heart of this twenty-six-year-old coal miner who had little formal education. Everywhere he went, Evan Roberts delivered a message that was simple, straightforward, and timeless. It became known as ‘The Four Points.’ Did God’s people desire an outpouring of His Spirit? Then four conditions must be observed:

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JULY 7, 2013

Since we long for a true revival, let the cry of our hearts be the same as the Psalmist’s! “Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved… Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:7, 18b-19) Our only hope is a fresh work of God in our lives, our church, and our community.

Let’s set our hearts on seeking the Lord’s presence!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JUNE 30, 2013

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3). A. W. Tozer wrote, “To penetrate, to push…into the holy Presence, is a privilege open to every child of God.” Each of us should gather in this place with this purpose, and when we do, we will experience His powerful presence personally as well as corporately.

We are told to “prepare the way of the Lord” by the prophet, Isaiah. (Isaiah 40:3-5) The real and manifest Presence can actually be prepared for. We can open the way for God to reveal His glory in our lives and in the world around us. Last week, a command was presented to remove “mountains” and “high places” in order to remove obstacles between us and the Lord’s glory. Roadblocks caused by pride and self-centeredness must be eliminated so the “way of the Lord” can be prepared properly.

Today, we come to the final instruction for His highway’s preparation. Isaiah declared, “The crooked places shall be made straight.” (40:4b) Deception and dishonesty, error and confusion, cynicism and hypocrisy must be exposed. Probably the most common accusation against the church is that it is filled with hypocrites. It seems that unbelievers do agree with God on this one point. God hates hypocrisy as well. God loves honesty and truthfulness in the lives of His people. Even God will withdraw His presence from hypocritical worshipers. If we are going to straighten out the crooked places, we must align ourselves with the truth and righteousness revealed in God’s Word, the Bible. When we have our hearts and lives lined up with God’s Word, we create a “highway of holiness” for our God to enter upon.

Let’s build God a super-highway into our lives and our congregation. Let’s build it with the expectation of His coming in a manner that will reveal His glory to all flesh.

Seeking a revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JUNE 23, 2013

Jehoshaphat prayed, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You….’If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in Your presence…and will cry out to You in our distress and You will hear and save us.’” (II Chronicles 20:6, 9) We will look to God for the deliverance and help we long for!

We are told to “prepare the way of the Lord” by the prophet, Isaiah. (Isaiah 40:3-5) The real and manifest Presence can actually be prepared for. We can open the way for God to reveal His glory in our lives and in the world around us. Last week, a command was presented to “fill the valleys,” and we were encouraged to fill in the gaps caused by complacency and worldliness. We want to make “the ground level” so that we can prepare an “easy” entrance for God into our lives.

Today, Isaiah’s words for us are “every mountain and hill will be brought low.” We must remove every barrier, roadblock, and hindrance that might be found in the “highway for our God.” We must humble ourselves and deal with every issue of pride that causes God to “resist” us. (See James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5.) We must admit to roadblocks that are born out of our pride. There may be bitterness, envy and greed that puff us up against God and others who live and worship with us. The idols of our “high places” such as power, money, and pleasure must be “torn down” through true repentance. We must follow Paul’s exhortation to “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” (II Corinthians 10:5) We don’t want anything to hinder our experience of the manifest presence of God!

As God leads us individually and corporately, let’s be obedient so that we might build a super-highway for the Lord to come into our fellowship.

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY- JUNE 16, 2013

FATHER’S DAY

We come before our God and cry out, “Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:4-6).Our hope can be found only in the God of our salvation!

In Isaiah 40:3, the prophet encourages us to “prepare the way of the Lord” by building “a highway for our God.” It is possible for us, Christians, to work together and actually prepare for the presence and power of God to be manifested in our lives, homes, churches, communities and nation. We can build a spiritual highway to open the way for God to reveal Himself to us in an extraordinary manner. Isaiah goes on to record at least three principles we can practice in order to build this super spiritual highway.

The spiritual application might reveal some “low spots” in our own spiritual lives. There are possibly some “gaps” caused by complacency and misplaced priorities. We must “fill these in” if we want God to come into our lives in a special way. We need to develop a spiritual hunger and spend more time seeking His face in prayer. We need to spend time reading His Word, the Bible, and then waiting with open ears to hear what His Spirit wants to say to us. Unfortunately there are many, many “valleys” in our personal and corporate lives and God is announcing His desire to come to us and to reveal His glory among the nations. Let’s fill up the gullies so His highway to make level!

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JUNE 9, 2013

We must seek God with great humility. We cannot approach God with self-centered pride and pretentious religion. “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). God will give grace to the humble, but He will also actively resist the proud!

We will be exploring how to prepare for several weeks. Don’t miss what God has in store for us all.

Seeking revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JUNE 2, 2013

In these days, may the cry of our hearts be the same as the Psalmist’s! “Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved… Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:7, 18b-19) Our real and lasting hope can only be found in God. Let’s pray like we believe that!

Here are just two definitions of revival. Stephen Olford wrote, “That strange and sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring, reanimating, and releasing them into the fullness of His blessings.” Duncan Campbell stated, “Revival is a people saturated with God.”

     “These definitions have a common thread running through them: God among people. He brings salvation to the lost, and He restores a love and passion for Jesus Christ.”

We are seeking a manifestation of God’s presence in our fellowship. We long for God to show up! Manley Beasley said, “The presence of God is hard to define, but His absence is easy to detect.”

Praying for revival,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – MAY 26, 2013

In these days, may the cry of our hearts be the same as the Psalmist’s! “Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved… Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:7, 18b-19) Our real and lasting hope can only be found in God. Let’s pray like we believe that!

“Almost four decades ago, historian J. Edwin Orr asked a conference of pastors, teachers, evangelists, and workers to specify the greatest need of the times. One said, ‘Surely the Great Commission to evangelize those who have never heard.’ Another insisted, ‘Sunday School. If we lose the coming generation, we have lost everything.’

“Another replied, ‘The training of the ministry.’ Yet another said, ‘Stewardship. The Lord’s work must have money.’ Another proposed, ‘Combating drug addiction and crime.’ And on and on the possible solutions went.

“Dr. Orr asked them, ‘Would tackling any one of these problems solve the others? Would promoting proper stewardship solve the problems of drug addiction? Would filling Sunday Schools automatically recruit missionaries? Is there anything that would make an impact on all the problems at once? THEY THOUGHT NOT.

“’Yes, there is!’ Orr exclaimed, ‘Revival, according to the records,

Fills the churches,

              Crowds the Sunday Schools,

                  Raises up evangelists,

                        Calls pastors,

                            Recruits missionaries,

                                    Brings in funds,

                                          Reunites families,

                                                Delivers from addiction!’

“The same is true today. Every problem we face right now in our country has a spiritual solution. Spiritual awakening is the one thing that will produce change at every level of our society: political, economic, moral, educational, and social. This is the reason why revival is the most critical need of our time.”

Praying for revival,

Pastor Doug

MOTHER’S DAY

SUNDAY – MAY 12, 2013

We gather to celebrate the promise of God that He would make us His family. “Even to them I will give in My house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 56:5) Let’s welcome our brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

One of the specific and important purposes of a family is to teach one another how to love with the love of God. The family is designed to remove selfishness from the heart and to direct it in love toward others. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, may we be reminded of God’s unselfish love He has for each of us, and may we be moved to truly love one another.

George F. Thomas wrote how romantic love between two people could be in danger of self-centeredness, and marriage could become “egoisme a deux,” which simply means egotism of two. “On the other hand, with the coming of children, husband and wife may be both drawn out of themselves into the widening interests of the family. They are called upon to subordinate their private desires to the interests of their children and even make sacrifices for them.

“In the process, their love for one another is not lost; it is purified and deepened. Moreover, as members of the larger community, parents are expected to advise and encourage their children in the process of adjusting themselves to the demands of the group. . . .Thus, from the time they decide to marry to the end of their lives they are led by the immanent logic of love step by step towards moral and spiritual maturity.”

God has designed the home to be the nursery, the laboratory where true love is birthed and nurtured to become an expression of His own love to this world.

I thank God for our homes,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – APRIL 28, 2013

“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.”   Psalm 145:1

This past month as we have been talking about family discipleship, specifically the discipling of children, it is possible that two groups may have felt left out: those who don’t have parents to disciple them and those who don’t have children at home to be discipled. This bulletin insert is for you.

When Paul writes his final letter to Timothy, he reminds him of the faith that he received from his grandmother Lois and from his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). You see, Timothy’s father was a Greek and apparently did not disciple Timothy in the ways of God. So his grandmother stepped up to help his mother in the process.

I believe there will many people in heaven because of grandparents. I have heard many testimonies such as this, “I was not raised in a Christian family, but my grandparents took me to church every week. When I heard about Jesus, I got saved.” I am very thankful for the grandparents in our church who will do whatever they can to bring their grandchildren to church, AWANA, and youth!

I am also very thankful for those faithful, sacrificial volunteers who help with Sunday School, AWANA, youth, CEF, Bible Released Time, and CIA. There are so many children in our community who are hurting and need to know and experience Jesus’ love, and by God’s grace they can come to this place and meet an adult who loves Jesus and who loves them, who will take the time to teach them from the Bible and to pray with them.

The Bible clearly teaches that parents are the primary people responsible for discipling their children, but often they don’t. We want to give a shout out to all those who have stepped up to be surrogate spiritual parents for those who need them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a wonderful day it will be when we get to heaven and are thrilled and humbled by those children who have made it because we loved Jesus and we loved them!

Let’s keep pressing on in the work God has called us to do!

Your brother,

Aaron

SUNDAY – APRIL 21, 2013

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”   1 Corinthians 15:56-57

In Jesus’ prayer in John 17, He prays these chilling words, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (v. 18) God has this habit of sending His children into the dark, abusive world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. He sent His eldest Son (Jesus) into the world, and now He sends His younger children (us) into the world, too. As we talk about training our children, one vital area of that training is teaching and showing them how to share the Gospel.

Greg Stier, the founder and leader of Dare-2-Share Ministries, tells about an awkward moment he had with his son in the grocery store. Right in the middle of an aisle on a busy shopping day, a woman mentioned to them that her dog just died. As Greg said, “I’m sorry,” and tried to get away, his five-year-old son piped up, “Lady, don’t cry. Your dog is in doggie heaven and you will see him again.” As people tried to scoot around them and pretended not to listen to this preacher kid, he charged right on, “Lady, you can go to heaven too if you just believe in Jesus.” Greg blushed because usually his gospel presentations have a little more of a transition than “you can see your dog someday in doggie heaven.” But his son wasn’t aware of the awkwardness and started through the “Gospel Hand,” a method of sharing the gospel he had learned in Sunday School: God loves me, I have sinned, Christ died for me, if I believe, I will go to heaven.

At this point the lady began to sob and practically screamed, “It’s not just my dog! I lost my son to cancer awhile ago! I am so mad at God right now!” With those words, Greg forgot about trying to hurry out of the store and the people maneuvering their carts around them. He focused in and started sharing the Gospel. When it was over, the lady collapsed into his arms and he prayed for her. It was a divine appointment.

Though it might have taken Greg a little while to get tuned in on that occasion, he had modeled a life of evangelism to his son, teaching and training him both at home, at church, and every where they went. His son was ready to be used by God.

Will our children be ready?

Your brother,

Aaron

SUNDAY – APRIL 14, 2013

 “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises….I will walk within my house with a perfect heart….He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.” (Psalm 101:1, 2a, 7-8) Let’s commit ourselves to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

The biblical record makes it very clear that children are to be submissive to their parents’ instructions. The honor to parents that is required by the Fifth Commandment is best displayed by obedience. The first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs are filled with admonitions to pay attention to and do what your parents tell you. Verses 8 and 9 of Chapter 1 record a typical example of this admonition: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains (i.e. jewelry) about your neck.”

Solomon’s proverbs begin in Chapter 10, “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.” Parents are best satisfied when children walk in the wisdom that God gives us. The Apostle John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (III John 4) We all must remember, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Here are some questions for parents: “Do you want your children to be saved?” “Do you want your children to go to heaven and share eternal life with you?” I hope your answer to both questions is “yes.” Well if it is, than you must ask yourself whether or not you’re saved. The likelihood that your children will walk in wisdom and the light of salvation is much, much greater if you are also saved and walking with the Lord. The chances that they will be saved are drastically diminished if you are not saved also. Please, please, make the salvation and wisdom of your family the top priority of your life!

Gratefully saved,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – APRIL 7, 2013

 “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1, 2). The Lord is worthy of our praise, and it is fitting that you and I should be the ones to declare it. Let’s do it!

All of us understand what it means to “trust” something or someone in our lives. We have learned to “trust” the brakes will work on our vehicle as we go down a mountain. We have learned to “trust” the chair to hold our weight when we sit down.  We have been forced to “trust” the good judgment of others such as doctors, mechanics and even other drivers on the highway. In essence, we can’t live very well without having some form of “trust.”

The Bible teaches us that “trusting” God is the most important confidence that we can experience. Jesus used much of His teaching to encourage us to “trust” the Heavenly Father. He summarized one important lesson on faith by saying, “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 Him!” (Matthew 7:11) God wants us to trust Him to “take care of us” in this life and the one to come.

A small boy walking with his grandfather was gently being tested by the elderly man. “How far are we from home?” asked the grandfather. “I don’t know,” the child answered. “Well, where are you?” “I don’t know.” “Looks to me like you are lost. Doesn’t that worry you?” “No, Grandpa,” the boy responded, “I can’t be lost. I’m with you.” Grandpa chuckled and smiled. Then he gently patted the boy on the head.

Like the boy who felt safe with his grandfather, we are not spiritually lost when we are with God, for God knows the way. We can “trust” Him with our whole life!

A trusting son,

SUNDAY, March 31, 2013

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”   Col. 3:1

Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Let us exalt His name together!

                 Today is a wonderful day because more than any other day we celebrate the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead! But did you know that we actually celebrate that every Sunday? When the Bible talks about the Sabbath, it is actually talking about Saturday. The Jews met in the synagogue and in the Temple to do their “church” on Saturday. But an event so powerful that it could change over a thousand years of tradition happened: Jesus rose from the dead! And so the early Christians started to also meet on Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ life!

                But we shouldn’t celebrate the Resurrection just on Easter, or even just every Sunday. It is to be celebrated every moment of every day. Consider this question: what does it mean to you that Jesus is alive?

“The Lord Jesus received is holiness begun; the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness advancing; the Lord Jesus counted upon as never absent would be holiness complete.”

                This past year I remember a guy in the youth group telling me, “You know, it’s silly that we put so much stock in having an accountability partner. Why do we care more about what another person thinks about us than about what God (who sees us constantly and knows our thoughts constantly) thinks about us?”

                May we live each day with the realization that Jesus is alive and is not only watching us at every moment, but living inside us through everything we choose to do.

Your brother,

Aaron

PALM SUNDAY – March 24, 2013

We come here today with a great hope in what our God has planned for this world. “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him shall praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:26-28) Let’s give honor and blessing to our great King!

This week, millions of Christians around the world will remember the events of Holy or Passion Week. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, there are several important and absolutely incredible actions of our Lord Jesus Christ that have impacted the entire scope of the Christian faith. E. Stanley Jones was in Jerusalem visiting and meditating in some of the places where those events happened. He was attempting to enter into a deeper understanding and experience of the Lord’s Passion. He was reading Matthew 26:46 under an olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane. The following is what he learned.

     “….About midnight I reread the account of Gethsemane’s agony. But when I came to the last line, I nearly jumped to my feet: ‘Up, let us go forward’ (Matthew 26:46 NEB). Forward to what? To the cross?

     “So the meaning of Gethsemane dawned on me anew. It was not the prostrate form and the bloody drops of sweat and the asking if the cup should pass; no, it was this last line: ‘Up, let us go forward’ –going to meet whatever comes. Gethsemane was triumph, not tears. He at the end was perpendicular, not prostrate. His head was up, and his face set to meet and meet victoriously whatever comes.

     “As I have often said, he took the worst thing that could happen to him -the cross- and turned it into the best thing that could happen to the world- redemption. If you can take the worst and turn it into the best, you know how to live, if not on account of, then always in spite of. He was Lord of his own present- at Gethsemane and at Calvary. On the cross he was not resigned, he was regal. He dispensed forgiveness to his enemies, opened the gates of Paradise to a dying thief, cried, ‘It is finished,’ not ‘I am finished’- the thing I came to do, redeem mankind- ‘it is finished.’ He was Lord even when he was most victim.”

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – March 17, 2013

“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Psalm 28:6-7). Certainly God has helped each one of us this week, let’s lift our voices in grateful praise!

We are over halfway through the season of Lent. That means that we are closer to Easter and all the signs of springtime that come along with it. Many of us have been preparing for the celebration of Easter by spending extra time in prayer. It has been a time of seeking God’s presence and asking that His work be accomplished in our personal lives and in our community at large. Traditionally, Lent has been a time for Christians to look at themselves and eliminate things from their lives that might stand between them and God. It has been a common exercise for individual Christians to “give up” food items like ham or chocolate. Unfortunately this has even led to a light-hearted attitude, and a “poking fun” at such practices with the glib saying, “Oh, I gave it up for Lent.” Seeking God and practicing self-denial is a very serious exercise.

and.” He goes on to say that one will never be truly satisfied until they eliminate the and. Perhaps Lent should help us to rid our hearts of those “things” or “blessings” that compete with the Lord in our own hearts.  Maybe we should “give up” the and’s this season.

Hungry and thirsty for God,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – March 10, 2013

Certainly we experience personal benefits when we worship our God, but our genuine worship will reach far beyond ourselves. We want our worship to have a far-reaching impact. “I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth” (Psalm 57:9-10). Let our praises sound forth to all the world!

Let’s be sure that we are always “looking unto Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith.” Let’s be sure our eyes are fixed on Him!

He is my vision,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – March 3, 2013

“Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psalm 2:1, 12, NASB) Let’s give honor and praise to the Savior and Lord of all!

There is an incredible and awesome amount of variety in nature. Whether we look at plant or animal life, we observe differences in shape, color and size. The oceans of this earth contain a large number of life forms that are seldom seen by most of the human population. Underwater photography has revealed thousands and thousands of forms of “sea life” that are stunningly beautiful. Is it possible to choose the “most beautiful” or our “favorite” one? Like a child going through a zoo for the first time, we can move from one interesting and fascinating creature to another and change our opinion of “our favorite” with each new discovery. God’s design in His creation is mind-boggling. He must be happy to watch us observe and ogle the wide variety that He created for His own and as well our delight.

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – February 24, 2013

“Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of His name! Tell the world how glorious He is. Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds! Your enemies cringe before Your mighty power. Everything on earth will worship You; they will sing Your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs.’” (Psalm 66:1-4, NLT) Certainly we all want to be a part of this global activity of declaring the praises of our great God!

Why do we exist as a congregation of Christian believers? What is the “paramount” purpose that we must give our attention to as a congregation? When we know the answer to this question, we will want to refocus our efforts to be sure that we are fulfilling our reason for existence.

God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, and then His strategy was to commission all His other sons and daughters to complete the task He began at Calvary. All the other purposes of the church will be accomplished so much better in heaven, but this one can be accomplished only on earth! Thus I conclude this must be the paramount purpose of the church-on-earth. But even for those who cannot accept such an evaluation, surely it must be one of the chief purposes of the church. It is very sad that few congregations treat it that way.” (Page 112)

I pray that our Lord will constantly remind us that NBC must be involved in “missions” if we are going to fulfill our purpose. God has a plan and it is our responsibility to find ourselves involved in His plan. I am very thankful that God has given us such privileges as we have had to be an active participant in His work of sharing the message of redemption with the world. It is a greater blessing to believe that He will use us more mightily in the future than in the days past.

Looking to the Master,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – February 17, 2013

We can find great delight in the presence of God, our Heavenly Father. “A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than to live ‘the good life’ in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in You.” (Psalm 84:10-12, NLT) As we seek His Presence and worship Him, may His blessings fill each of our hearts.

Do you know that God loves you? Do you really understand and accept His love for you so that you experience that love in your life? In Ephesians 2:4, 5 we read, “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.” Earlier in the same epistle, we are told about “…the wonderful kindness He has poured out on us because we belong to His dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, and our sins are forgiven.” (Eph. 1:6, 7) God wants each of us to know the love that He has for us.

Tony Dungy has attempted to explain why we might not know God’s love and acceptance. He wrote, “…We are continually bombarded with messages contrary to the message of grace. We are told to work harder, earn more, be thinner, look prettier, acquire more stuff, build bigger, be better, and on and on. Messages infused with the vocabulary of doing and earning and merit. Messages that say we have to accomplish this list of things before we can expect to be fully loved and fully accepted. Messages contrary to God’s empowering promise of grace.

“Here’s God’s message of grace: ’I love you!’

“Really. He says it to you and me. Every day, many times over. He says it to the person who society says is overweight, not very smart, not cool, not this, and not that. Bottom line? He says, ’No matter what others tell you, no matter if you don’t fit their idea of perfection, I love you.’ His grace is a promise He will never retract.”

Grateful to be loved,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – February 10, 2013

There are instructions offered in the Word of God to those who desire to really worship God. “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’”(Psalm 70:4) Let’s give our attention to God and declare His glory in this place.

“Faith” is the first principle of living in the Kingdom of God. We must have faith to enter into the experience and reality of His kingdom because grace comes to us “through faith.” Jesus taught that great advances in the Kingdom happen when God’s children exercise “faith.” “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (see Hebrews 11:6), but “all things become possible to those who have faith” (see Mark 9:23).

Active, vital “faith” causes us to trust God in all experiences of our lives. Joseph Eliot wrote, ‘I find that while faith is steady nothing can disquiet me, and when faith totters nothing can establish me. If I ramble out among means and creatures, I am presently lost and can come to no end. But if I stay myself on God, and leave Him to work in His own way and time, I am at rest, and can lie down and sleep in a promise, though a thousand rise up against me.” This is what is meant by “living by faith.”

This living faith is expressed by continual prayer. If we believe God and are willing to trust ourselves to His work, then we will pray more deeply and more frequently. Again, Brother Eliot wrote, “Would men spend those hours they wear out in plots and devices in communion with God (i.e. in prayer), and leave all on Him by venturesome believing, they would have more peace and comfort.”

Lord, teach us to pray!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – February 3, 2013

We come to worship God in the manner that causes Him delight. “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart- these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:15-17). Let’s offer to God those things that please Him!

Several of our church leaders are using a daily devotional entitled Voices of the Faithful, Book 2. From the readings for the month of January, we are receiving great encouragement on the subject of prayer. I know that prayer is an important and indispensable part of God’s work in this world. We must continue to pray and pray with consistent fervency. At the end of the introduction, Kim P. Davis, the editor wrote, “Joe says, ’One of the great privileges of prayer is the ability to be a part of what God is doing. We may not know the people or the results of those prayers until we get to heaven, but what a glad day it will be when we meet them face-to-face.’

     “This month and, in fact, this year, God is calling you to a new journey of prayer for the nations, for missionaries, for lost people around you, and for yourself as you participate in kingdom work. He is giving you an opportunity to be part of what He is doing in our world today.”

I invite you to watch and listen for opportunities to join your brothers and sisters at NBC in the work of prayer. Two such opportunities will be to use the Lent booklet, Seek God for the City, and to join the Pastors’ Prayer Partners. Don’t miss out on the experience of seeing God answer in mighty ways!

Praying,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JANUARY 27, 2013

Recently, our HX25 group finished a Bible study of Colossians 3:12-17. These verses written by the apostle Paul describe Christian virtues and attributes that we “as the elect of God” are to possess.

During the study, the question was asked, “What two things did people feel they needed in order to make one happy?” Everyone seemed to agree that in a world full of sin and corruption, riches and power would be the leading answers. However, in a devotional written for “Our Daily Bread,” David McCasland shared that studies by a number of psychologists showed it is not great riches that make people happy, but it is friends and forgiveness. Not the kind of response most would guess to be the answer to “What makes people happy?”

Then we began to look at Paul’s writing in Colossians 3:12-17. Paul had a different audience. He was writing to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colossae. He was writing to Christians. Remember Paul was probably a Primetimer (mid-60-years-of-age) when he wrote to the Colossae congregation from a Roman prison. Paul was reminding the brethren at Colossae how they were to act by “putting to death” their earthly nature, and taking on the new life that is available through Jesus Christ.

In verses 12 and 13, Paul reminded us that as a child of God we are to put on (or incorporate into our lives) virtues and attributes such as mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and long-suffering. We are also to forebear, forgive, and love one another. The apostle Paul knew what would make people truly happy. It is having a “quiver full” of friends and possessing the ability to forgive. David McCasland writes that “forgiveness is God’s command to us and is part of a life of love, peace, thankfulness and praise” (vv. 14-16).

So there you have it! As the elect of God, we are to develop and cultivate Christian virtues, develop friendships, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit and love of Christ, we are to forbear, be patient, and forgive one another. With the Lord’s help, we can do this.

Walt W. (Prime-timer)

SUNDAY – JANUARY 20, 2013

It is a good thing to gather with God’s people for the purpose of worship. There are other places a person could choose to be, but there are none better. “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10). Let’s rejoice in the goodness that we will discover in The Lord’s presence.

Christianity is meant to be a living, dynamic relationship with God. In fact, God always wanted people to worship Him and love Him in a personal, real and vital manner. God wants us to live and walk in the knowledge of His living presence in our lives. The unfortunate reality is that we are not always very good at keeping our relationships alive and fresh. Passionate actions directed by our love for God can easily become routine ritual. We are prone to practice much of our life out of habit rather than burning desire. When our faith falls into this pattern, we begin to practice religion more than experience living faith.

The people of God have frequently fallen into “religion” with which God is not pleased. Jesus quoted Isaiah’s indictment against Israel, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.’” (Matthew 15:7, 8) Years after Isaiah spoke those words, the prophet, Malachi, addressed the same issue when even the priesthood began to “serve God” just out of duty without any real passion. The charge was brought, “You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it.” (Malachi 1:13)

Oh, I pray that God will keep our hearts ablaze with zeal for His glory. I pray that our participation in “church” activities will be driven by our love for Him and our desire to see His glory fill this earth.

Drawing near with my heart,

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JANUARY 13, 2013

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually” (Psalm 105:1-4). When we do these things, we will be truly worshiping our great God!

What is your perspective? Some people keep looking back and remembering what they think were better days. When the remnant of Israel returned from the captivity, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Some looked back and declared that the “new” Temple was not as wonderful as the former one. Then the Lord changed their perspective. “’The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace’ declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9) J. Vernon McGee wrote the following commentary on this passage of Scripture.

“Oh, that you and I might see our present circumstances in that same way! We need to look at them in the light of eternity and to look at them in light of God’s purpose for us. If God be for us, who can be against us? Hallelujah! Let’s not be overcome nor overwhelmed by the circumstances of the moment.

“I think of that preacher in Scotland who turned in his resignation at the end of the year. When the elders asked him why, he said, ‘Because we haven’t had any conversions this year except wee Bobbie Moffat.’ Well, my friend, that discouraged preacher couldn’t see that ‘wee Bobbie Moffat’ would become Robert Moffat, the great missionary to Africa, who probably did as much if not more than David Livingstone in opening Africa to Christian missions. That year which the preacher considered a failure, was probably the greatest year of his ministry. All of us need to see things in light of God’s plan and purpose for our lives.”

May the Lord keep us all looking in the right direction throughout this new year!

Pastor Doug

SUNDAY – JANUARY 6, 2013

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually” (Psalm 105:1-4). When we do these things, we will be truly worshiping our great God!

What is your perspective? Some people keep looking back and remembering what they think were better days. When the remnant of Israel returned from the captivity, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Some looked back and declared that the “new” Temple was not as wonderful as the former one. Then the Lord changed their perspective. “’The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace’ declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9) J. Vernon McGee wrote the following commentary on this passage of Scripture.

“Oh, that you and I might see our present circumstances in that same way! We need to look at them in the light of eternity and to look at them in light of God’s purpose for us. If God be for us, who can be against us? Hallelujah! Let’s not be overcome nor overwhelmed by the circumstances of the moment.

“I think of that preacher in Scotland who turned in his resignation at the end of the year. When the elders asked him why, he said, ‘Because we haven’t had any conversions this year except wee Bobbie Moffat.’ Well, my friend, that discouraged preacher couldn’t see that ‘wee Bobbie Moffat’ would become Robert Moffat, the great missionary to Africa, who probably did as much if not more than David Livingstone in opening Africa to Christian missions. That year which the preacher considered a failure, was probably the greatest year of his ministry. All of us need to see things in light of God’s plan and purpose for our lives.”

May the Lord keep us all looking in the right direction throughout this new year!

Pastor Doug