Pastor's Blog

 What does hope for a Christian look like in the 21^st century? The same as it did 2000 years ago. It looks like Christ’s open arms offering hope to the world.  

            When we allow bad news or world events to dictate our attitude in a way that takes away from who we were as the body of Christ, we are failing. If the church acts like it is defeated, the culture of defeat will create a pessimistic environment that will overshadow the good news of the Gospel. The world has been in a constant battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. The Bible says in Ephesians 6 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

            That has always been the case. The issue might be different today than it was yesterday or the methods used against might be different, but the battle is always raging. This battle is bigger than me and you; it’s bigger than this church, state, country, and even this world. It is a battle for supremacy of the entire cosmos. The church has been a part of this battle since its inception, but lately I think the church has been infected with a defeatist mindset. Lately we have spent so much time thinking about the enemy’s’ plans that we have forgotten to look at God’s plan. We have forgotten to rest in God’s promises in God’s love.

            I think one of the quintessential elements that the church in the United States has lost is hope. Hope that we can rest in the assurance of God’s love and grace today. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today, hope that salvation is offered to those who believer, hope that the grace of God is powerful enough to transform lives, hope that God is at all times working to thwart the plans of the enemy.

            God has a way of turning imperfection back to perfection. We see this so many times throughout the salvation history. It comes in many different forms, some of them painful, but others as the result of the fervent prayers of the righteous. Never doubt that God can find a way to draw in people. Of course we must continue to pray and ask God to use us, so that we can be a part of salvation history, but never forget that we serve a God who is not defeated. We serve a God who wove the fabric of creation into being, who knows every corner of Creation intimately. We serve a God who is faithful and loving, one who desires all people to be in a relationship with him. We serve a God who made us in his image so that we may enjoy life to the fullest. We serve a God whose reign’s sovereign. All it takes is one spark to start a fire and the right kindling. Will you be kindling for God’s spark of hope so that you may burn brightly?

            The hope of Christianity is not in death but in life. It is hope that allows us to say to death "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" There is no sting in death, because it is in death that we find life. It is in death that we are enabled to live as we ought to live now. Because of Christ we do not have to hope only for the future, we have hope now. We have hope that we can be a part of God’s salvation history in human history today.

            We serve a God who wants to rescue people from the death, corruption, and sin of the world. We serve a God who wants to whisper to every person that they are loved and made in the image of God. We pray in the Lord’s prayer “thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” We are not waiting to escape Earth as citizens of the Kingdom of God; we are God’s agents helping the world to realize that the Kingdom of God is at hand! There are a million reasons to lose hope and faith in humanity, but there is one reason, Jesus Christ, to hold on.

            As the Church we must help people to see that belief in Christ produces a hope so profound that it shines brighter than darkness.

Thanks,
Scott Donahue-Martens

Pastor's Blog

Death Could Not Hold Him

Pastor Steve Nash

This week, we have reason to celebrate!  From a cold, dark cave to the father’s right hand!  Of all the major religions of the world, Christianity basis its claims on the acceptance of the Resurrection of its Founder!

“If Easter be not true,  then faith must mount on broken wings, then hope no more immortal spring, then love must lose her mighty urge, life proves a phantom and a dirge, if Easter be not true!”  -- Unknown

Can a woman stop the birth of her baby?  Of course not!  If that stone door was not removed by the angel, the sun, moon and stars would have demanded His release!  You cannot keep God in the grave!  Jesus was deity as well as human and you cannot kill God!

Jesus possesses the office of Eternal Priest – “A Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:20).  Eternal King – “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Ps. 45).  He is our Eternal Shepherd (Heb. 13:20).  Death could not hold Him because of the things to follow.  He would reside at the Father’s right hand as our Great High Priest!

If Jesus did not rise from the tomb there would be no assurance of our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:17).  There would be no certainty of being made right with God (Rom. 4:25).  “He was raised for our justification!”  There would be no advocate in heaven for we who believe (1 John 2:1).  “If anyone sins, we have an advocate.”  We have a Lawyer who is also our Judge!

The Ignorance of People Cannot Darken the Light.  “The poor have the gospel preached to them and they are the ones who are rich in faith.”  “The people who sat in darkness saw a great light.”  The light cannot be extinguished.  “The wealthy and the elite shall be humbled and the lowly shall be exalted.”  Earth and its inequities; heaven and its equalities!  The evil influences of this world shall NOT defeat His kingdom!  They can take our money; they can take our belongings; they can even take our lives; BUT THEY CANNOT TAKE OUR FAITH and OUR ETERNITY WITH GOD!

Remember, the Gospels do NOT explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explain the Gospels.  Belief in the Resurrection is NOT an appendage to the Christian faith, it IS the Christian faith!   Our faith is in a Living God who has made us alive in Christ Jesus.  As struggling sinners, we have escaped the bonds of guilt, shame and Satan himself.  Ps. 124:7 – “My soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken and I have escaped!”

The struggling Christian shall NOT be held by trials, temptations, affliction and depression.   “For many are the afflictions of the righteous…”  Our bodies shall NOT be held in the grave.  “For the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we who are alive shall join…”  All creation will burst forth with resurrection life when He gives the signal.   Nothing can stop it!

There is no limit to the mighty power and endless grace of Jesus Christ!  He opens the prisons of justice and death with infinite ease.  He will redeem not only the soul, but the body as well.  Because He Lives, We Live Also!

Have you lost a loved one recently?  Jesus temporarily lost Lazarus, but what did He do?  Is there sickness in your family?  He heals all manner of diseases or He waits to receive anyone who departs from this world.  Are you struggling financially?  Our God lives and He is rich! He will provide all our needs!  Are you sad and depressed?  He lives as our Comforter, Counselor and Companion!

Your life and testimony is perhaps the greatest proof of the Resurrection!  It transformed Peter’s courage.  It transformed James’ faith.  It transformed Thomas’ doubt.  It transformed Saul into Paul!  Our Lord’s resurrection transformed my selfishness, rebelliousness, ignorance, hopelessness and stubbornness and made a new creation that will see the risen face of Jesus some day.  Because of Good Friday we can look back and not be afraid.  Because of the Resurrection we can look ahead and not be afraid!

Pastor's Blog

Hope for the New Year

Pastor Steve Nash

How many reading this article have a genuine hope for 2015?  I guess it depends on one’s perspective.  Could it be that attitudes and perspectives, carried over from the previous year, have a great bearing on how we look into the future?  Some may think that having a republican controlled Congress will solve many of the nation’s ills.  I’m not so sure about that.  Too many times I have become a bit disillusioned by hopeful politicians who promised great reforms.

No man or woman can straighten up the mess we have gotten ourselves into.  Therefore, our hope must be redirected to someone who has promised and can deliver for the coming New Year!  How about Isaiah 43:19 where the Lord has this to say: “See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  That sounds refreshing to me.  We could use those “streams in the desert!”

Some may think that God is done with us.  He has given us plenty of time and opportunity to get it together and repent of our wrongdoings.  We have been unfaithful and rebellious like many others who have gone before us.  Still, I hear the voice of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, in Lam. 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fail.  They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness!”

What about all the lawless, wicked, evil and hateful people who take advantage of the defenseless innocents?  This world is not a just place; there is no fairness in any land.  Psalm 31:23-24:  “Love the LORD, all his saints!  The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.  Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord!”

But it is hard to change my attitude that always seems to bring me down as well as those around me.  I’m tired of always being so negative!  Ephesians 4:22-24:  “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires (thoughts);  to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

These leaders will never change.  They are corrupt and that’s just the way it is with most all of them!  Proverbs 21:1:  “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  And then there is Ezekiel 11:19: “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a soft heart.”

You’re probably thinking by now, “Pastor, you must be kidding me.  You’re quite the dreamer!”  You may be correct, but I can tell you, God did that in my own heart and life.  I was much worse than most of the bad people you may be thinking about.  As John Wesley said, “But for the grace of God, there go I!”  I am hopeful, but that is what the New Year is all about, isn’t it?  If we cannot hope for a better tomorrow, we are to be pitied.  I have to hope as Micah did in 7:7:  “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

Can you dig deep and search hard for better days ahead?  Can you grab hold of just a glimmer of hope for 2015?  Is there a way to see through all the fog of despondency?  My friend, hold on to Jeremiah 29:11:  “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Hope has with it the condition that we willingly decide to take God at His Word.  As Peter said, “Where else have we to turn, for He has the words of eternal life!”  As the cliché says, “Go with God!”  Begin this New Year a different way this time.  Efforts to make resolutions we never keep, and simply “hope for the best,” has not worked in the past and won’t work for today.  Surrender your entire will to God and He will give you a brighter outlook for 2015!

Pastor's Blog

A Message that Changed the World

Pastor Steve Nash

The last Christmas I spent as a non Christian was what God used to bring me to Christ the very next month.  I was not a nice person, thinking only of myself and indulging in horrible sins that many involve themselves in when they are headed in the wrong direction.  I guess it could be said that I was miserable and had no hope at all for the future.

My marriage and two children (at that time) were not the priorities they should have been.  I was in the Air Force but in total rebellion against all authority.  My mind was polluted, my spirit was dead and my body was wasting away because of drugs and alcohol.  I didn’t care about anything good because I was a complete reprobate narcissist!  That Christmas was not a pleasant one for me or my family.  Making a fool of myself at holiday parties made me realize that I needed a different direction for my life before I lost everything that had any real purpose for living.

After the holidays my 1^st Sgt. had told me about John 3:16.  I had never heard that message from the Bible before because no one ever shared it with me.  For me to understand the meaning of this passage it was broken down in this way:

“For God…” – He told me that this is speaking of the God who made the universe; the only true God who was my Creator who had a special plan for my life.  This was a personal God who actually cared for me and promised to help and forgive me of all my sins.  I couldn’t imagine that such a God would be interested in someone like me.  I had cursed His name and spoke against Him for years.  I considered myself an atheist who believed that belief in a god of any kind was a foolish thing to do.  I continued to listen because I was without hope and without any reason for living.

“So loved the world…” – How could a holy God love a world as wicked as this corrupt globe?  Why would the only true God even care to intervene when we have given him little regard?  Even if God loved this planet, He wouldn’t love someone like me.  How could a righteous God love this world that was filled with wickedness, war, violence the hate I heard about on the evening news?  Of course, at that time I didn’t know what love was all about.  My love was all about “feelings” whether perverted of not.  Was that the love that the Sgt. was speaking of or was there a love that was higher and deeper that could be experienced by some?  Maybe some, but not a sinner such as me!

“That He gave His only begotten Son…” – The man told me that God didn’t just say that He loved the world – He proved it by sending His Son as a sacrifice for all our sins.  I had trouble with such a statement.  Why would He bother; why would He go to such extremes?  He told me that God would do such a thing for the man down the street who often abused his wife and children and dealt drugs that brought ruin to many families.  He explained that the greatest price had to be paid for the greatest sin we could possibly imagine.  The Sgt. went on to say that this was the “plan” for this corrupt world from the very beginning.

“That whoever believes in Him…” – He said the word “believe” was deeper, yet simpler than I might think.  He explained that it had to do with trust, reliance, faith and a total surrender of my will to a God who knows better than I.  Fortunately, I had made such a mess of my life; it wasn’t that difficult to allow someone else to manage things for awhile.  I was tired, defeated and depressed.  I wanted someone to help me and he told me that the only true God was that person!  He shared his testimony how God saved and changed his own life and family.  That all sounded good to me!

“Should not perish but have eternal life!” – He told me of the horrors of hell and the splendor of heaven.  He explained that there was a hell waiting for those who have disregarded God’s Gift all their life and it was far worse than the hell they experience in the here and now.  But then, I also heard him talk about a future existence; a heaven that sounded so beautiful, so wonderful!  He tried to explain that each were “eternal” even though I could not fully understand that concept.

That evening I made an appointment with God.  It was 10pm.  I was alone in my bedroom, having gone upstairs before my wife.  I prayed a simple prayer, for I didn’t know how to pray.  I sensed that a great burden or weight was lifted from me and went off to sleep with a peace I had never before known.  The next day I awoke and realized that my mind was not thinking the same way.  My desires had obviously changed and I wanted to tell someone else what had happened to me.  Three months later my wife also surrendered her life to Christ.  We and our family of now, 26 members, have the promise of heaven and a wonderful reason for existence!  That message from my 1^st Sgt. changed our lives and continues to change millions who embrace it by faith!  Today, Christmas has a wonderful meaning for all who have embraced John 3:16!

Pastor's Blog

Hope for Our Children  (part 2)

Pastor Steve Nash

What is it that brought millions of immigrants to our shores?  I’m sure there were many reasons,  but we can all agree that one predominant aspiration was that many mothers and fathers who found their way to Ellis Island came because they wanted new hope and a brighter future for their children.

My grave concern is that the very reason many came to these shores (our children) is about to be lost forever.  Let me explain it another way.  We’ve had great hope for our children’s economic prosperity.  That hope today is fading like a setting sun.  We are selfishly saddling them with a national debt (nearly 18T) they will never be able to bear.  We long to have our children enjoy a healthy spiritual and social life.  Those values we feel important for a healthy society are constantly under attack from many fronts and we are rapidly losing ground in that battle.

Did you know that 75% of our youth believe there is no such thing as “absolute truth” and that all truth is relative?  Did you know that 83% of our High School students have been sexually active?  Did you know that 40% of our 8^th graders have used illicit drugs?  Did you know that 78% of our inmates grew up in a single parent or no parent home?  We are told by the Psalmist that “children are a gift from God,” yet we have aborted 55 million since 1973.  If the child survives the mother’s womb, many of our young ones feel they are a burden to their parents, not a blessing from God. The main reason we are gradually increasing in our population is not because of the natural pro-creation of the American family but because of immigration, both legal and not.  Couples living together outside of marriage is a growing trend that keeps the divorce rate at about 55%.  We can agree that divorce or illegitimacy is not a healthy upbringing for any child.

Children are more afraid of the divorce of their parents than they are of the drug dealer or physical abuse.  Some researchers on the family feel that divorce is more damaging to a child’s heart than even sexual abuse.  I don’t know if I agree with that, but nevertheless, such findings reveal the seriousness of a broken home.  Divorce is a sin against the child but few parents seek the forgiveness of their children after the home has been broken apart.

Today’s child is forced to grow up too quickly.  By the influence of the media, peer pressure and lack of a healthy family environment, today’s child loses their innocence and becomes a product of society’s demoralization.  Suicide, addiction, self abuse and violence are too often the outcome for the children God has blessed us with!

We have a wonderful missionary outreach program called “Save the Children” that encourages us to sponsor a child in a developing country, but what about our own?  Do we spend the time, show interest in their lives and equip them with spiritual and moral safeguards that will enable them to survive the constant attacks on their mind, spirit and body?  What is invading or permeating the mind and heart of your child?  Too many parents provide the sports, dance lessons and other club involvements for their children but neglect the most important need – the spiritual.  These parents run their children all around during the week for these appointments but fail to bring them to church!   Doesn’t the Proverb exhort parents to “Train up a child in the way they should go?”

What can we do to raise our sons and daughters the way God would have us? First of all, have them!  Many parents don’t want the responsibility of any children so they choose not to have a child.  The root problem here is “fear” and “lack of responsibility.”  Secondly, teach them!  Do not leave that responsibility to other people or influences that may not embrace your belief system.  Thirdly, demonstrate to them that they are secure in their family life and you will always be there for them when they need your help and advice.  Lastly, learn from them.  Didn’t Jesus constantly use children as an object lesson to teach profound truths to the adult?  “For such is the kingdom of heaven!”

Our children need not be part of the sad statistics I quoted before.  Our children must be special and equipped to make a difference in their generation.  The other day I asked my 24 year old 6^th child if she believed she was part of the “terminal generation.”  She indicated that she was determined to be a beacon of hope to her generation and leave the time table of God’s coming to Him.   May God help us to raise sons and daughters as sharp arrows who are able to pierce the darkness and turn many of their generation to righteousness!”