The Church Moving Forward

In this day and age for Christian Churches it is difficult to move forward.  The decline of active Christianity has been plaguing all denominations for the past thirty years, and with the current recession the decline continues to worsen.  Here in Michigan we see the flight of workers leaving, and the prognosis looks even more bleak as we continue to see college graduates not staying in the state that they were educated in, rather leaving to states with employment numbers that are normal!  So, what is the church to do? 

Philippians 3:13-14 not only gives insight to the individual Christian, but also gives insight to the community of Christians.  We cannot look back at the ‘glory’ years of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, we cannot rest on the laurals of larger churches and hold them up as our small bright light and glimmer of hope.  We cannot continue to seek out dysfunctional denomination that are self-distructing in the midst of accepting sin in some way or another.  Instead, we need to as Paul writes forget the past (not lose memory of the successes, nor the failures, but to learn and grow from them), and keep our eyes focused on the future. 

The future is the prize which we see across the finish line.  It is a prize that ensures the certainty that the Church will be gathered, restored, and renewed around the Lamb of God.  It is the prize of Revelation that reminds us of the victory, that not only will we be a Christian nation, but we will live and be citizens of the Christian Nation as the citizens of the Kingdom of God!

Let us move forward with the urgency not to look around us, but to continue to see the goal of God in our midst, being a church (a people), who proclaim the truth in all its purity and love, a people who share the Word of God faithfully and competently, and a people who have an eye on the prize, bringing many more people into the race with  us.  The victory is ours, we just need to finish the race.  For in reality it is not about where we’ve been, or what we’ve been through, it is about where we are going, and what we are know we are going to do!  God gives us the strength to finish the race.

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Vision and Gift for the Lord’s House

Isn’t it amazing some of the homes that are build for ourselves?  We read in 1 Chronicles 29:1-5 about the house of the Lord that David builds.  Actually, in today’s dollars David donates from his personal fortune a little under 18billion dollars (around 17 billion, 280 million dollars).  Why did he give so much, because it was not a house for man, but a house for the Lord.

Think about what you are doing for the ministry of God in the community in which you serve.  Are you giving more for man made items, or are you like David giving for the greater kingdom good in the world. 

David is recorded as giving his own personal fortune which is above and beyond, this was the monies and safety that kings would normally put aside incase they lost their kingdom…by David donating this he is giving up his personal security, and completely trusting in the Lord’s continue provision.  Why, because this is for the Lord’s Work in his community.

May we all recognize the Lords Work in our lives, and may each of us continue to give for eternal matters not just temporal. 

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Grace in giving

What do we give to the Lord?  We give Him love, we give Him trust, we give Him praise.  We serve Him with our everything.  This week I encourage each of us to lift our voice to the Lord in all we have and do.  2 Corinthians 8 reminds us that Paul is thankful for a group of people who served the Lord with all they had, actually they served more than they had.  The gave trusting completely in the provision of God.  The rested in His grace.  They were poorer than us today, they were in greater need than us today, and yet they gave abundantly. 

When I read this I am reminded how great God’s love is and what a transformation it brings to each of us.  His love changes us.  Do you remember the first letter written to the Corinthians?  It is the letter which blasts them for thier selfishness and lack of kingdom love and thinking.  Now, Paul writes commending their selflessness and kingdom grace and thinking. 

What would Paul write to you in a letter, would he see your response to God’s love?  Would he commend you or rebuke you?  We trust the Lord with our eternal well-being, can’t we too trust Him with our physical well-being as well.

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Whom do you serve

In the book of Joshua chapter 24, God’s people are reminded whom God is and whom they are to serve. God was the great God who protected them, lead them, and guided them as He freed them from slavery in Egypt. Some had fallen to worshiping false gods, and serving anything and anyone other than the one true God. This is the chapter where we hear triumphantly “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord our God!” (Joshua 24:15)
In this day and age of pluarality whom does your family serve, and do they know it? Maybe you know God, but are you ensuring your children and your childrens children will know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
As you serve the Lord, tell your family, your friends, you loved ones about whom you serve and why. Their salvation may depend on your lips as the Spirit works through you.
Serving Christ Together,
Pastor Greg

More than needed

In John 6:1-15 we see that Jesus has a large crowd that is following Him and He sees that they will have a need.  The need for food!  He asks, where they will get enough to feed them all, and Philip responds, there is no way!

What is the need in our world today, what do the ‘masses’ need?  Peace, Prosperity, Health Care?  Where will the need be met?  The world will fail, and the answer is there is no way through the world.

Christ answers Philip saying, take the loaves of bread (2), and the fish (5 anchovies) and bring them to Him.  Not only was the crowd fed, but there were left overs, twelve baskets full (remember the baskets were huge)!  They were filled!

Where will peace come from, Christ has brought us everlasting peace with God, where will prosperity and provision come from, Christ has provided all our needs through the Love of the Father, and we know we will inherit life in heaven, where the streets are paved with gold!  Where will health care come from?  Christ has provided the greatest health care ever, that we will never die, but always live.

Truly, each of our needs are met, and beyond!

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Community

President Regan called on the Soviet Union to tear down the wall that divided East and West Germany.  It was a speech that called on the Russians to embrace freedom, peace, and prosperity.  It was epic and historic in the 20th century.

Our Father send His Son to bring about the destruction of the dividing wall between God and man.  His life, death, and resurrection was epic and historic for all man kind.  Today, know that we have community not only with one another, but most importantly with God almighty.  Ephesians 3:14

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Can you brag about it?

I am the worst bowler probably in the history of bowling.  I struggle day  in and day out to score over a 100 in any game (and I usually play with the bumper up! j/k)  Would I ever brag about my bowling game!  Heavens no!

Paul writes in the second book of Corinthians that he has a thorn in the flesh which apparently hampers some of his abilities to minsiter to others.  It is in this weakness though that Paul brags.  He brags about how God uses that very weakness through him to share the love of Jesus with others.  Paul brags about the Lord in all things giving God all honor, credit and praise.

What would you brag in that God is using in you to bring about His kingdom work!  Would that bragging be about how great God is, and not pointing to ourselves.  If so, then brag away, let the world hear of the work of God in our life.  See God using your weakness to bring about His glory.  When we brag and give everything to God, it is not shameful, or sinful, rather it is dutiful to the work and service of God. 

May you and I always continue to talk about how great our God is everyday, to everyone!

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Thorn in the flesh

What or Who is your thorn in the flesh?  What bothers you, where are you weak?  I can’t bowl for the life of me, and thus, I would never ever think about bragging about my bowling game!  Who in their right mind would brag about a weakness?  Who would ever think about bragging about such things?

Paul would, that is the apostle Paul!  He bragged about his thorn about his weakness, and pointed people to the fact that through such a thorn or weakness (possibly the fact he was nearly blind), that God used it for the kingdom work!  Paul pointed everything back to Christ.  He bragged each day in Christ and the work which Christ made complete through the weakness that Paul had, and was.

This week look at your weakness’, and contimplate, pray, and discover how God can use such things to enhance, expand, and exemplify the Kingdom of God.

Don’t be afraid…just believe

Sometimes we find that we trust in ourselves.  We trust our own ways with finances, we trust our own ways with health, and we trust in our own ways with discouragement, disappointment, and often times with distress!

When we trust in ourselves we will fail, for our own man-made bridge will always lead to failure, frustration, and futility!  Yet, the world continues to say You Can Do It!  Christ, reminds us that we can’t do it alone, we need Him!

He is the one who bridges the gap!  When we trust/believe in Christ we make it successfully over the bridge and continue to peace, joy, and contentment!  Fear of loss of control keeps us of the bridge with the greatest foundation (the eternal word of God).

Jesus the Chrsit came not to serve His own need, but to give the greatest gift ever, a gift that many continue to search for outside of Him in vain.  The gift of life.  In Mark 5 we see Jesus giving the gift of life to Jarius’ daughter even though the world around Jarius told him that ‘his daughter is dead, don’t bother the Teacher anymore’.  Jesus responded saying, she is not dead but asleep!  His words are met with worldly laughter…reminding us that even today for many, as we proclaim that we all will rise from the dead, our faith is met with laughter. 

In the midst of all things, let us always be reminded that we believe.  We believe in the one who has overcome sin, death and the devil.  We believe in the one whom said He will return.  We believe in the one who has done the greatest for us, given us the grace and gift of everlasting life. 

God Bless you as you believe!

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Freedom Festival

This weekend at Immanuel we celebrate Freedom.  The fourth of July is one of my most favorite days of the year as we see an entire country stop and celebrate the great freedoms that we have in this country.  We as a country also stop and remember that freedom is not free, it came with a cost.  The cost of lives who fought and continue to fight to ensure that we can vote in fair elections, that we can worship the one true God, that we can gather and assemble, and many other freedoms that sometimes (too often) are taken for granted.

As Christians, we remember that we are always free no matter which government we live in.  We know that with Christ, our freedom truly reigns and rings (John 8:31).  It came at a cost too, the cost is the death of God, Jesus died and rose again, to ensure our freedom.  It cannot be taken away, it cannot be lost, but it can be given away and rejected.  Too often many exchange the freedom that is won in Christ, for a lie, that holds us captive. 

Our prayer this weekend and everyday is for those who are held captive, that they would come to know freedom in Christ, freedom over sin, death and the devil.  Our prayer is that their chains would be broken, and their hearts and minds set free, to focus on the work and price paid by Christ.

Happy Independence day to us all, as we are free in this country, but also free for eternity!

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg