Counterintuitive

 

I would bet good money on the possibility that one of the major goals of your life is to be happy. That’s high on my wish list too! Probably no mystery there. Everybody wants to be happy. Now here’s the good news – Jesus wants you and me to be happy too. The confusing side (not the bad side) of that good news is that Jesus defines happiness in a very different way than we do. If we’re honest, “happiness” for us is having everything in life exactly the way we want it. In reality, happiness often is the ultimate act of selfishness. It would probably be very true that if you or I were totally happy on our terms, there would be a whole lot of unhappy people! 

The happiness Jesus Christ offers us is so different because his view of life is so different from ours. He does know what is best for us. Even though we are convinced we know what would make us happy, in truth, we’re guessing most of the time. 

In his longest sermon (which, by the way, is much shorter than the sermons of most preachers today) Jesus describes in detail the life which brings healthy, long-lasting happiness. You’ll find the plan in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. It’s called, “The Sermon on the Mount”. If you don’t have much time, just read the first eleven verses of chapter 5. This short section is called “The Beatitudes”. It is God’s concise plan for making you happy. Don’t be shocked though! At first glance you might think, “This is a plan to make me miserable.” But then remember who it is that is speaking and what he has done for you. Let the concepts work in your mind over the next few days. Think seriously about what is most important in life. You may well find Jesus not only gives us something to think about in “The Beatitudes”, but they are indeed the surest path to happiness. 

If you are up to some counterintuitive thinking this Sunday morning, join us for our 10:00 am worship service! 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

“The Call”

 

“The Call” – people will refer to it in those terms for the rest of their lives. Maybe it was a personal visit from someone, a telephone call, maybe an e-mail or even a text, but it was some kind of communication which significantly changed their lives from that point forward. 

“The Call” might have been incredibly good news: the acceptance of a marriage proposal, a job offer, or the invitation to participate in some elite organization. 

“The Call” might have been terrifying and challenging, such as the call to military service. 

Most often, however, “The Call” brings heart wrenching, mind numbing news: a serious health diagnosis, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job. 

There is one call in life to which all others are subordinate. This call not only is of more importance, it determines how we will react and respond to the other calls. It is in every sense, THE CALL. Most often it doesn’t hit us in such emotional ways as the other calls. For some people, they don’t even give it a second thought. There is no realization on their part that THE CALL won’t only change some things for life, it will change everything forever. 

THE CALL is simple and straightforward. It comes from Jesus Christ who says: “Come, follow me.” It is a call to let him be the Savior and Lord of our lives. It is a call to let him mold us into the kind of people he created us to be. It is a call that will literally change everything. But what a change it will be! 

How much have you thought about the call of Jesus? If you’re uncertain as to what it means or how it works itself out in the lives of real people, join us for our worship service this Sunday. 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

The Worship Connection

 

Worship is one of those concepts we are very familiar with but are hard pressed to explain in a way that even we ourselves understand what we’re saying. A very basic definition of worship is “to come into the presence of God”. But how does that happen when we can’t physically see, hear, or touch God? 

We talk about connecting with people. Usually that involves an in-person meeting with the individual, but it isn’t primarily being in their physical presence that makes the connection. Usually, it is made when two people are encouraged, built up, share information, enjoy similar interests, etc. Those are all intangibles, things we can’t see, but value very highly in our relationships with other people. Our relationship with God isn’t all that much different in some ways. 

Worship is, in a very real sense, connecting with God. When we come into his presence, we are encouraged, instructed, comforted, built up, forgiven and motivated. Our response to what God does for us is reverence, respect, and the commitment to demonstrate our love for him in the way we live. 

Worship has gotten a bad rap by those who would paint it out as sitting through a boring, mind-numbing church service. While worship does involve church services (which shouldn’t be boring!), it plays a crucial role in every area of our lives. If we are not worshiping God the way he designed us to worship him, then we are worshiping someone or something else and that will end up in a disaster – especially in the long term. If you know intuitively that worship is important but aren’t exactly sure why, join us for our Sunday morning service. Together let’s start down the path of letting worship revolutionize our lives in very real and practical ways. 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

War of the Worlds

 

He is there! It’s rather unnerving, but he is. Wherever you go, whatever you are doing, whether you are aware of him or not, he is there! And he knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your likes and dislikes, your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows what is going on in your life and how your circumstances are affecting you. Yes, he’s there. 

You might be guessing that “he” is Jesus, but in this case, no, the “he” is Satan. As frightening as it is, we need to be conscious of the fact that we are engaged in a war of eternal consequences each and every day of our lives. Far from conceding Christians to the cause of Christ, Satan works overtime to lure believers away from their Savior. This is his only goal, to take people away from Jesus, by whatever means are most effective. 

We can’t see him. We aren’t always sure of what he is trying to lead us to do or think. But most Christians do sense that there is some kind of force operating in their lives that is in direct conflict with Jesus. This shouldn’t surprise us, knowing that Jesus himself was tempted by Satan throughout his time on this earth. One Bible writer says that Christ knows exactly what we go through as he was tempted in every way, just as we are. The one difference being, he didn’t give in to temptation – he didn’t sin. 

How is the war going in your life? Do you sense Jesus pulling you more and more to his side? Or, are you living a yo-yo spiritual life, one day walking on the dark side, one day in the light? The first step in winning this war is to acknowledge it is going on! The next, is to learn how Christ overcame Satan and how that applies to us. The one thing you don’t want to do is ignore the war. The consequences of that kind of disregard are too horrible to consider. Join us for our worship service this Sunday morning. The good news is, because of Christ, there isn’t any reason any one of us should lose this war! 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am