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  • Community

    people in a community

    Community

    God’s Love

    In the beginning, there was God. He has always existed in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is all love – the very definition of love.

    1 John 4:7-8 (NASB)

    7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
    8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

    Because of God’s love that He had for us, even before we existed, He created us. From the very beginning, God knew that it was not good for us to be alone.

    Genesis 2:18 (NASB)

    18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

    God created all of the animals and brought them to Adam. I’m sure they were all very friendly, but they still didn’t meet a need that Adam had for true fellowship, so God created Eve.

    Genesis 2:20-24 (NASB)

    20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
    21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
    22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
    23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
    24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

    We now had the beginning of the first family, and the first community. It seems that God used to walk and commune with Adam and Eve on a regular basis (Gen.3:8-9). This was the perfect world that God had created — Adam and Eve enjoying each other’s company and the world that God had given them, while God fellowshipped with and enjoyed their company.

    Fellowship

    The word “fellowship” means two or more people talking and sharing with each other. It’s not where one person talks and the other always listens. In a good friendship, both people feel comfortable with the other person, and they both take turns talking, listening, sympathizing, and loving.
    God created Adam and Eve in His own image. Because God has always existed in three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and we were created in His image, we have the same desire and even need to be with other people.

    Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB)

    26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
    27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
    28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

    More than just being created in His image, we even have His Spirit.

    Genesis 2:7 (NASB)

    7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

    Family

    The family is the beginning and foundation of every godly community. It is what God established and what He commanded from the very beginning.

    Genesis 1:28 (NASB)

    28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

    Today, we see many people attacking the traditional family (husband, wife, children). They might say that the Bible’s definition of a family is old-fashioned and outdated. These arguments are nothing new. We have seen throughout history where people have tried creating other “societies” where they refuse to follow the traditional pattern of marriage. Every culture that has tried this has failed. God created us to live as families. We can even see in every study that has looked at the subject, people in jail are overwhelmingly from a home where the father is not there. We also see increased poverty, teenage pregnancy, and emotional issues.
    Keeping a family together takes work. It starts by putting God in the center of it, and teaching/leading your family in His ways.

    Tribes, Villages, Towns, Cities

    We see throughout history that people have formed communities. This way, they can be there to help each other and enjoy the company of each other. Some people prefer smaller towns, and others prefer large cities. We all have a need to be with others in some capacity.

    Emotional Hurt

    Whenever you have two or more people together, eventually someone will say or do something that will hurt the other person. It might be intentional or unintentional. That’s what usually breaks up marriages. A marriage usually starts with two people deeply in love, willing to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. Over time, things will happen. People, by our nature, are selfish. We want our own way. When we don’t get it, we get upset. This can cause distrust, jealousy, anger, and pain. This is not just with marriages. Every relationship between two people (friendship, work, etc.) will have these pressures. How can we avoid them? If the relationship is already damaged, how can we fix it?

    Forgiveness

    Jesus loved us so much, He died on the cross, taking our sins on Himself, so that our sins could be forgiven. This made the way for our relationship with Him to be restored. At the same time, He expects us to be willing to forgive each other.

    Matthew 18:23-35 (NASB)

    23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
    24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
    25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
    26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.
    27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
    28 “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, Pay back what you owe.
    29 “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, Have patience with me and I will repay you.
    30 “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
    31 “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
    32 “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
    33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?
    34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
    35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

    What the first slave owed was more than he could have possibly earned in over 10,000 years! By comparison, his fellow slave owed him about five months wages. That is a lot of money, but compared to what he was just forgiven, it was nothing. Jesus was saying that it is the same way with us. God has forgiven us more than we can ever imagine. If we are unwilling to forgive someone else, even if it was an intentional, horrible offense, we are not worthy of Christ’s forgiveness.
    As Jesus taught us to pray:

    Luke 11:4 (NASB)

    4 And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. “

    Just in case we had any doubts, Jesus laid it out clearly.

    Matthew 6:14-15 (NASB)

    14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
    15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

    The forgiveness of our own sins is contingent on our forgiveness of others. I have had people try to justify their own unforgiveness — what the other person did was “unforgivable”; what they did hurt me too much; why should I forgive them if they aren’t even sorry?

    Romans 5:8 (NASB)

    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    Jesus did not wait for us to make the first move. He died for us first, showing us what true love truly was.

    Communities

    Think about the communities we form:

    • Clubs (Rotary Club, golf club, sports club)
    • Bars
    • Social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.)
    • Churches

    Communities can be good or bad. They can either help reinforce good, godly ideals in us, or they can help us justify sinful, evil thoughts and intentions. Remember the definition of fellowship. Both people are sharing and receiving ideas. The people with whom we associate will definitely have an effect on us, and will probably dictate who we become. If you want to be a better person, hang out with better people, read better things, discuss better ideas.

    Community of God

    In the Old Testament, God chose a family of people — the Israelites — and made a nation out of them. Other people could join them, but they had to become part of that nation, agreeing to abide by the laws that God had established for them.
    When Jesus came, He died for everyone, not just the Jewish people. He gave His life for many, not the few. Everyone who comes to Him can find forgiveness of their sins (for more information, click here). You can then become part of the family and body of Christ — the church.

    Church

    The church actually refers to the people of God, not a particular building or religion. After Jesus was raised from the dead and people started believing in Him and following Him, look what the early believers were doing.

    Acts 2:46-47 (NASB)

    46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
    47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

    This was the natural outpouring of the incredible experience they all just had. When something good happens to you, you want to share it with others. That’s what they were doing. As time went on, the people who did not want to repent of their sins started to persecute them. Since they had already been meeting together and sharing with each other, they could now lean on each other and strengthen each other. People who try to stand alone have a much harder time.

    Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NASB)

    12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

    Meeting Together

    The early church people went through a lot of persecution, including being thrown in prison, having all of their possessions taken, and even being killed. Non-Christians might not hire them. They might not even sell them food or buy things from them. By meeting with other Christians, people in their community knew that they were Christians. To avoid persecution, some people stopped meeting together. The writer of Hebrews warned of the danger of that practice.

    Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB)

    23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
    24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
    25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

    God intended for the church to be a place where people could encourage each other to live godly lives, even while being persecuted by others. This is also what marriages and families are supposed to be — places of encouragement.
    We see the same thing happening today. Many people have been hurt by what someone else said or did. They will let this experience leave them thinking that’s just the way that churches are. Unfortunately, that’s just the way that people are, not just people in church. As we saw above, this is why we need to freely and openly forgive each other, constantly. What else can we do?

    Serving

    Why do we have problems with other people? Because we all want our own way (even Christians).

    James 4:1 (NASB)

    1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

    How do we overcome this? By humbling ourselves like Jesus did and putting the interests of others before our own interests.

    Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB)

    3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
    4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

    If everyone did this, we would have no conflict in our churches. We would have no conflict at work. We would have no wars.
    The place to start, as always, is with ourselves. It’s been said that if you want a friend, be a friend.

    Luke 6:31 (NASB)

    31 “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

    This is what we call the golden rule. If we want to be treated nicely, treat others nicely, even if they don’t treat you the same.
    Notice, also, that Jesus here is assuming that we will be in a community, not shutting ourselves off from the rest of the world.

    God has called us to be a godly community, encouraging each other, putting our own interests last, and being an example to the rest of the world. Don’t let anything steal your joy and fellowship. The church, like a good marriage, is not perfect, but it is worth fighting for.

    More…

    We would love to speak with you or have you worship the Lord with us. Please let us know how we can serve you.

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  • The Value of Your Salvation

    3 wooden cross on top of the mountain

    The Value of Your Salvation

    Something Precious

    Have you ever saved up for something a long time, waiting until you finally had enough money to buy it? Maybe it was a new bike or a new car (or new to you). You might have even parked it away from everyone else, just so it wouldn’t get scratched. It didn’t matter that you had to walk further. This was something that you wanted to keep nice for a long time, because it was important to you.
    It’s been said that we spend our time and our money on what is important to us. Think about your life. What do you value most in your life?

    Cost

    If I build a piece of furniture, it might mean a lot to me. I might have spent many hours designing it, choosing and buying the lumber, cutting everything precisely, assembling it, staining it, then sanding and sealing it. To me, this is worth a lot, because it cost me a lot.
    If I buy two pieces of lumber, then take five minutes to cut them and make a bench out of them, it cost me very little, so I might not consider it worth much.

    Value

    It’s also been said that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. No matter how much I value my piece of furniture, if no one wants to buy it, it is worthless to them.
    If, on the other hand, people see it and fall in love with it, they might start bidding and outbidding each other, just so they can have that piece of furniture. Now, this same piece of furniture just became more valuable, because they consider it valuable.

    Cost of Salvation

    Galatians 3:13 (NASB)

    13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us or it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”

    When this scripture says that Christ “redeemed us”, it means that He paid a price for us. He also became a curse for us, because we were cursed.

    Romans 5:8 (NASB)

    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    Jesus willingly gave His life for us, even though we were sinners, because of His great love.

    Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)

    5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
    6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
    7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
    8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

    Jesus humbled Himself so much that He submitted Himself to God the Father, then He “emptied Himself” and became a man – not just a man, but a servant of men. He then submitted Himself to becoming a curse and the subject of public humiliation.

    For Jesus, this was the highest cost possible.

    Jesus told His disciples, the day before His crucifixion:

    John 15:13 (NASB)

    13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

    No Value of Salvation

    John 1:10-11 (NASB)

    10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
    11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

    Even though Jesus created the whole universe, including every person, many people rejected Him, and they still are rejecting Him today. They don’t understand what is available to them if they would only come to Him in repentance.

    To them, the value of their salvation is zero – worthless.

    High Value of Salvation

    Hebrews 11:35-38 (NASB)

    35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
    36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.
    37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
    38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

    I have read stories of Christians refusing to turn away from Jesus, then being killed (martyred) for that decision. Some were killed by lions in the Roman Colosseum. Others were burned to death. Even today, there are many Christians who are being killed because of their faith.
    I have also heard stories of Christians in other countries getting up very early and walking for hours every Sunday, just so they can meet and worship with other Christians. Some even start their weekly journey the night before. After their church service, they make the trip back home.

    To these Christians, the value of their salvation is very high – even priceless.

    Your Valuation of Salvation

    Acts 2:42, 43, 46 (NASB)

    42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
    43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
    46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

    The early believers spent as much time together as they could. They were hungry and thirsty for more of God.

    Acts 16:22-26 (NASB)

    22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.
    23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;
    24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
    25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
    26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone s chains were unfastened.

    Because some people did not like what Paul and Silas were preaching, they had them beaten and thrown in prison. Instead of complaining to each other and to God, they were rejoicing with songs of praise to God. God responded to their faith with an incredible miracle that caused the salvation of the jailer and his family, along with many others who heard of this story.

    Today

    It’s easy to get discouraged when difficult things happen or it looks like no one else cares. Sometimes, it can be hard, painful, or costly to worship the Lord. Do you think it’s just too hard?

    What value do you place on meeting with other Christians?
    What value do you place on your relationship with Jesus?
    Are you willing to sacrifice everything just to remain faithful to Him?

    More

    We would love to speak with you or have you worship the Lord with us. Please let us know how we can serve you.

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  • Saving for the Future

    Saving for the Future

    Savings

    Most people want to save up for something. Maybe it’s a new car, or a better house, or college education. Whatever it is, it’s worth sacrificing a little today, so they can have something nice in the future. We all dream of a better life, nicer clothes, living in a new neighborhood, etc.
    What are we willing to give up now to get our dream in the future?

    Delay of Gratification

    Saving for the future usually requires denying ourselves something now. If we want to buy a house, we might need to rent a less-expensive apartment, so we can save up for the down payment on a house. If we want to send our children to better schools, we probably can’t go out to eat every night.
    If we want to follow Jesus now, there are some things that we have to give up.

    Luke 9:23 (NASB)

    23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

    Self-denial sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not always bad. For example, I intentionally deny myself food I don’t like. I also deny myself the act of hitting my head against a wall (usually). Most importantly, I deny myself things that will come between me and my relationship with God. To me, not having that closeness with Jesus hurts more than wall-induced headaches.
    What are some of the things that come between us and God?

    Hindrances

    Idolatry is when we worship someone or something more than, or instead of God alone. It can also be considering something else more important than He is to us. Throughout the Bible, God uses the example of marriage to show our relationship with Him. He created us so that He could love us.

    Colossians 3:5 (NASB)

    5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

    Here, Paul is telling us some of the things that God views as idolatry – worshiping a different god. They are also things that harm our lives and the lives of those around us.
    Immorality: Just like Adam and Eve, we were created to marry someone of the opposite sex and live with them for the rest of our lives. Any other sex might seem like fun at the time, but it always causes heartache in the end, leaving ruined lives behind.
    Impurity: There are temptations all around us in movies, the Internet, social media, or just crude jokes with friends or coworkers. What we do starts with what we think.
    Passion: Passion within a marriage is good; anything else is not.
    Evil desire: wanting something that we know we should not have. A young child might dream of eating nothing but candy and sweets. That can keep them from actually eating good, nutritious food, though.
    Greed: It can be easy, at times, to see someone else with something that we want. We might think that we deserve it more than they do. A major part of living a life pleasing to God is accepting how he created us. I will never be the richest or poorest. I will never be the best-looking or the worst-looking. There are many things that we will never be, but we will always be created in the image of God, and worthy of living a godly life.

    Satisfaction

    Philippians 4:12-13 (NASB)

    12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
    13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

    Paul learned, through his life experiences, how to be content, whether he had a lot or a little. He knew that wherever he was in life, His heavenly Father would be there with him, helping him every step of the way.

    Easy Labor

    Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

    28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
    29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
    30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

    Yes, we do have to work in this life, but Jesus told us to take His yoke, to take His burden. When we are living for the devil, we carry a heavy burden of sin, guilt, and shame. Jesus wants to set us free from all of that.

    The Enemy

    1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)

    8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

    We do have an actual enemy called the devil or Satan. Long ago, he was jealous of God and wanted to be God. God, thankfully, did not allow that. He banished Satan from His presence. Since God created us (and not the angels) in His image, Satan hates us and delights in hurting us. This is why he tempts us with evil things. He knows that they will separate us from God. He knows that they will keep us in bondage to him, not set us free in Christ.

    Finding Your Life

    Luke 9:24-26 (NASB)

    24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
    25 “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?
    26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

    In order to have a good life now, and for eternity, we need to be willing to give up the harmful things in our lives. Nothing in this world can compare to spending eternity with Jesus in heaven, and the best part is that we don’t have to wait. We can live that abundant life right now.

    Abundant Life

    John 10:10 (NASB)

    10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

    When Jesus said “abundantly”, He used a word that meant something that exceeded what was necessary – a super-abundance.

    Down Payment

    2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NASB)

    21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,
    22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

    The same Holy Spirit Who was there in creation, the same Holy Spirit Who enabled Jesus to live a sin-free life, the same Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead, has been given to us, by Jesus, as a pledge, or down payment, with much more to come.

    Divine Helper

    John 14:16-17 (NASB)

    16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
    17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

    When Jesus was walking this earth with His disciples, He could only be one place at one time. In order to complete His work, He needed to be wherever His children were, whenever they needed Him. After He died for us on the cross, then was raised up again, He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us, to help us, and to give us a taste of what to expect in heaven.

    Building for the Future

    1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (NASB)

    11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
    12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
    13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
    14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
    15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

    The things that we do determine what we have. If we build a shelter out of cardboard, it will protect us from the sun, but not from any rain. If we build a substantial house, with a strong foundation, strong walls, and a reinforced roof, even a hurricane won’t be able to blow it down.
    The trials of life will test what we are building today. After this life is over, there will be a judgment day that will test what we are building. If we build with gold and silver, they will only get stronger and more purified when tested by fire. We can settle for less, but the end result will ultimately be less, and might even be completely burned up.

    Crown of Righteousness

    2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB)

    7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
    8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

    At the end of our lives, may we all be able to say, as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” If we do this, we will also have a “crown of righteousness” waiting for us. Truly, Jesus is the only one Who deserves this crown, but He wants to share this with everyone who has “loved His appearing.”

    Eternal Life

    Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has been calling to us to spend time with Him. Today can be the start of a new beginning for you. Call to Him today, and He will help you on a journey that we keep going up, all the way to eternity.

    If you would like to discuss this with someone or would like prayer, please send us a message by clicking here.