No Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus- John 15:13

This last week, Blair-Preston Fire Department responded to a house fire.  They found heavy fire conditions that rapidly grew into an explosion of fire called a flashover, yet at peril of their own lives they heroically fought through the inferno and saved the entire family.  Tri-County Ambulance transported them all to Tri-County Hospital, who’s Emergency Department along with other departments within the hospital worked feverously to treat all five family members to make sure they were stable enough to transfer to another hospital.  Gold Cross Ambulance and their dispatch sent as many ambulances as needed to ensure everyone made it to the next hospital. 
Everyone involved with this incident deserves the community’s gratitude and appreciation for their selfless and heroic efforts in saving the lives of a family in our community.

2000 years ago, a young man in his 30’s faced a similar circumstance in a garden outside of Jerusalem.   He faced a different set of dangers.  Jesus knew He was facing the one of the most horrific deaths imaginable- crucifixion.  Not only was Jesus facing that, but He knew that for the next 12 hours He would be beaten, mocked, spit upon, and flogged until the skin was hanging from his torso. 

The bible records that Jesus was under so much stress, that sweat fell off his face like drops of blood. 

Just like the people who stepped up this last week to save their neighbors, Jesus made His decision.  He who was without sin became sin for us, so that we could have right standing with God.  Because of His bravery and commitment to the plan of God, we all have the opportunity to accept Him as Lord and Savior, and someday go to be with Him in Heaven.

Happy Easter to you all!

Beautiful Message of Easter

“…Jesus turned and looked right at Peter.  Then Peter left and wept bitterly”  (Luke 22:61)

For three days Peter had sat in the dark, reliving that moment over and over again.  Jesus had called him “The Rock”, and yet during Jesus’ time of greatest pain, Peter denied him to His face.   Regret, pain, failure washed over Peter leaving him no relief from the overwhelming guilt he felt.

Then the door flew open, and two women burst into the room and with tears of joy announced- “Jesus is alive!  An angel told us He has risen, and Mary saw it for herself!”  Hope sprung anew inside Peter, and he ran to the tomb to see the empty grave clothes lying there.  The proof that Jesus was alive gave him a new hope that filled his empty soul to believe again.

That is the beautiful message of Easter- all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s expectations.  As fallen and imperfect creations, we cannot measure up to God’s standards.  Because God loved us so much, He became human, lived the perfect life we could not possibly live, and died the death we deserved for our sins.  Only by believing and following Jesus can we too experience the new life that He has for us.

Just like Peter, you may be living in regret of past actions.  Your failures may be such a heavy load on your soul that you think or feel that you will never again experience peace or joy again.
However, just like Peter, you too can be set free from that regret and guilt to be born again into a new life- one that is full of purpose, hope, and joy.

If have questions or would you’d like help with that, please contact me at pastorjohnoscar@gmail.com

Persecution

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

Jesus- John 15:18 NIV

Most of the world was horrified this week watching twenty-one Egyptian Christians beheaded by ISIS terrorists.  We were shocked that in this day and age, the barbaric practices of the past were thrust into our present.

None of this caught God by surprise.  Some may ask “Why didn’t God stop this?”  I would respond, “For the same reason He doesn’t stop you when you go against His Word and will”.  Free will carries with it a huge burden and responsibility, and as fallen human beings, we mess it up more than we get it right.

We also have to understand that as Christians, at the moment we believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior we ceased being part of this world and it’s system.  Hostility toward Christians will continue to grow in these last days before Jesus returns.  It will help to remember that the hatred that we may experience is not because of us, but because we represent HIM.  We are caught in a spiritual conflict that is thousands of years old, but the good news is that God has promised to right all wrongs, heal all injuries, and bring us into a glorious eternity IF we will follow Jesus.

Jesus is coming soon.  The question is, are you ready?  Will you stand in these last days for God, or fall to the world and it’s doomed system?

If you want to begin a new lift in Jesus- Admit you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus paid the price for your sins in His death and resurrection, and Confess Him as your Lord and Savior.

If you’d like help with that, please contact me at pastorjohnoscar@gmail.com

Be blessed my friends.

Our Tether

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."
Jesus the Christ, John 6:39
 
I have a confession to make- I really don't like heights.  I know that's surprising given my past as a firefighter and military service.  When ever I get more than 20 feet above the ground, my heart starts pounding and I want to freeze up.  I've learned to deal with it by remembering the words of my grandfather- "Johnny, it's ok to be afraid.  A person can't learn to be brave and overcome fear unless they experience it, face it, and overcome it.  That is what courage and bravery really is."
 
This last weekend I was up on a quick get-a-way with my wife and brother in law Kevin to the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  One of the new features they have their is a "Ropes Course".  It's a series of ropes, ladders, cargo nets, and other obstacles that are suspended 20-30 feet above the arcade.  You have 45 minutes to navigate through the course on whatever path you want.  There are easier paths and hard paths; you choose which way you want to go.  There are no nets below you, but you are in a safety harness with a strong tether that keeps you from falling more than a couple of feet.
 
Kevin and I decided to try this out.  As I was getting harnessed in, I looked over the edge and saw how high we were and had that momentary panic feeling set in.  I tugged hard on the safety line, and even hung by it for a minute, and became convinced it would hold me if I slipped or fell.  The only thing I really had to fear is embarrassment if I did fall, but that's a minor consideration for me.  My inner voice then barked, "Cowboy up you wuss!" and I started to navigate the course, going immediately to the harder paths.  I had a great time climbing all over the course, and at the end wondered what I was afraid of in the first place.
 
I've found that our walk with God is very similar to the ropes course.  Sometimes God asks us to trust Him with something, or asks us to do something that looks very frightening or even impossible.  We nervously head out on the ropes only to suddenly turn back in fear.  What we don't see is the invisible tether that is wound together with several strands-
The first is Jesus Himself- He promised us that no matter what happens, He will never leave us or forsake us. 
The second is the character of our Father God, who is a good Father and gives good gifts to His children (see Luke 11:11)
The third is God's promise to us that all things work toward the good for those are called according to God's plan and purpose (Romans 8:28)
 
There are many more strands in this tether we could list.  The major take away from this is that if you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, God has us tethered to Him through an unbreakable band.  Nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39), and If God is for us, who can be against us? (Roman 8:31)
 
Next time you feel or hear God telling you to take a step in faith, take a deep breath, realize that you have a safety line on, and go have fun with your Father God knowing He will not let you fall. 
 
Many blessings
 
 

Real Community

        

I have a confession- I am a techno-nerd.  I love easy access to information, the ability to keep up with friends and post comments to social media that make people think and perhaps even point them in God’s direction.

As I’ve watched the American church’s response to the ever growing impact of social media, I’m starting to sense that we have embraced it a bit too much. 

Here are some of the issues with social media that I see are having a horrible spiritual impact, and believe me, I’m horribly guilty of every point-

1. The ability to hide behind a profile- we put up a façade to the world that looks great, but is not an even close representation of who we really are.  It’s the equivalent of airbrushing a picture to take out the undesirable features and project only the good.  The problem with masks is the same problem the Phantom of the Opera faced- they will eventually fall off and people will be shocked to see what was behind it.
2. On the flip side of that coin, many people engage in conversations, or post things that they would never say in person or in public at all.  Much of what happens on Facebook or other social media is spiritually destructive and not God honoring at all.  For some reason people throw aside restraint when typing on a keyboard or staring at a screen,  particularly when it comes to being downright nasty and rude. 
3. It allows us to have a sense of relationship, but on our terms and on our schedule.  That is not relationship- it is narcissism cloaked in a false sense of community.
4. It creates an addiction to attention.  We constantly log in to see who has liked our status, or see what our friends have said so we can comment.  This is gathering attention to yourself (see the definition of worship!).
5. Spiritual leaders can be just as guilty (this one in particular)- we substitute actual face to face time with the people we serve and lead with a snippet of electronic conversation (and I include phone text messaging in that) and are lulled into a sense of being authentic shepherds.  Even worse, we directly confront bad behavior online, instead of actually being face to face with a person so they can see our heart and be influenced by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

Authentic Christian culture is meant to be lived face to face.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”  (Prov 27:17).  This scriptural principle tells us that we are all perfected into the image of Christ by actually being around each other.  We have to guard against the temptation toward the easy.  You don’t pet iron into shape for usefulness.  You heat it up, bang on it, hammer it, cool it, reheat it, and start over again.  That can’t be done through a keyboard- you need to get up close and personal with it.

Is it any wonder why the church is so anemic in this country?  Is it any wonder why there is so little spiritual discernment among God’s people?  We’ve traded the hard course of authentic community for the easy way of posting/texting a comment.  We (I most of all!) all need to repent of our selfishness and self centered lifestyle, and turn back toward Jesus and let Him and His word define how we live.

Does that mean all social media is bad?  No, but we to guard ourselves into thinking a post on a computer is anything close to what God wants for His people.  

Make up your mind to pursue honest and authentic relationships.  Use Facebook/Twitter or whatever social media you have to proclaim God’s greatness, and then turn it off and spend some time with His people.

Prayer thought-

Lord Jesus, remove the blinders from my eyes and show me the cost of following you.  Help me to discern the right, and refuse that which does not honor you or is effective for advancing your Kingdom on earth.    For your glory and name, Amen.

Being a Kingdom Patriot

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." Rev 11:15 NIV

 

Over this last week, I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying about the future. I've been examining my heart in regards to what is fairly evident to me as to what is about to happen to our nation.

 

I was raised, particularly by my maternal grandfather, to be a patriot- a lover of America who wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life to defend my country. My grandfather bore many scars, from fighting in the Pacific Theater in World War II, so his word carried a lot of weight with me. He wasn't just an armchair patriot, he carried the marks of one who would put his words into action. My grandfather instilled in me a deep love for my country, and was always encouraging me to study it's history and founding to really understand what made America great among the nations of the world.

 

My grandfather also modeled for me a respect for God, and the necessity to be a man of deep character. He didn't talk about his faith much, but it could be seen in the way he lived his life. Not a perfect man, but one who was humble and willing to help anyone who needed it.

 

Over the last year or so, I've been struggling with being an American patriot and being a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Dual citizenship is always problematic- you have a tendency to love one more than another. Even Jesus said a man cannot have two masters- he will hate one and love the other.

 

This dichotomy has been working itself out in me until recently I've just had to realize that my desire to fight for America would result in resorting to earthly methods of fighting. Instead of realizing that our conflict is not against flesh or blood, we need to realize it is a spiritual confict; largely invisible to our human sense that rages behind the scenes. The problems this nation faces are a direct evidence of that conflict in what we see happening around us.

 

Earthy methods to fight will result in earthy results- anger, irrationality, a lack of peace, and eventually (possibly) a civil war. However, if we recognize that this battle we see playing out before our eyes is simply a spill over from the spiritual battle that is occurring in a realm we cannot see, we will immediately put down our earthly swords and instead choose to do battle in the most effective and powerful way we can- through seeking God and praying for our country, it's people, and it's leaders.

 

This is going to be a very difficult concept for people to accept, especially for patriots of America, but the United States does not in anyway appear in biblical prophecy about the end times. America eventually has to at least fall far enough out of power for the antichrist to rise and take over the world, and we might be witnessing that right now. That thought can make us very nervous about our futures and what that means for us and our families. I choose to be comforted about this- God's plan continues to unfold, and He already knows the end.

 

So, we have a choice before us- we can war the way the world does and loose that battle, or we can choose to full commit ourselves to be Kingdom warriors- those that lay down our lives for the cause of Christ. Although the world may be falling apart around us, Kingdom warriors will find peace and rest in the fact that God has this all under control, and we are laying down our lives (figuratively or perhaps literally) for Kingdom that will never fade away or be overthrown.

 

This idea is something that we need to get ahold of and let sink deep in our spirits until it becomes part of our thinking and world view. Events are racing at breakneck speed toward the conclusion of all things. The end will come at it's appointed time.

 

Post Election Analysis

Disclaimer- if you are not a Christian, this will not make sense to you and will probably get you very angry.  However, this is biblical truth, and I stand behind it.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."  (1 Cor 2:14-15 NIV)

 

As I watched the election results last night, and then going to sleep knowing what the result would be, I had a deep sense of sorrow come over me as I started to really understand what had happened.

 

The results shows the deep spiritual blindness of America.  Before you think I'm being critical of liberals or those who voted for candidates who consistently champion issues that are anti-god, anti-bible, and anti-life, I'm not going to do that.  There has been too much vitriol already,and frankly it takes away from the central truth of this situation we are in.  However, like most medical procedures meant to help bring people to health must first cause pain, so must the truth of God's word often causes offense to bring light into the darkness.

 

People in the darkness don't like people suddenly flipping on a light switch.  However, as a shepherd in the church, I have to speak the truth.  (See Eze 33:8)  It might cause me to offend people or loose friends, but I love you too much to water this down at all.

 

President Barak Obama is not a Christian, no matter how much he professes to be one.  In fact, the antichrist spirit works through him strongly.  To clarify, I don't believe him to be THE antichrist spoke of in the New Testament, but his ability to lie to a crowd and make them believe him is one of the hallmarks of how that spirit works in a society.  I had deep reservations about him the first time he ran for president but stayed silent as I didn't want to offend people.  I ask your forgiveness for that, and I can't in good conscience do that any longer.  The spiritual forces that are blinding people into exchanging the truth of God and Kingdom principles for a lie are moving too quickly now for watered down statements.  It also shows  also show one other thing, and this is the most important- the anemic influence the church and the people of God currently have on this society.  That corporately the church's fault, but mostly the fault of it's leaders exchanging the truth of God seen in the bible and the power of the Holy Spirit for popularity and church growth.

 

In the beginning of the book of Revelation, Jesus sends an angel with a letter of reproof to six of the seven major church's of the Apostle John's time.  He does not send letters to the political leaders of his time.  That is because a nation and society is ultimately a reflection of the spiritual health of the church in that country.  Last night we saw the blindness that has descended on many that name the name of Jesus as their God. 

 

The Apostle Paul warned us in 2 Timothy-

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
 

The delusion that is over America has many forms, to many to list here, but it boils down to spiritual adultrey.  God's people not seeking the Lord with all of their hearts, soul, mind, and strength.  That is the first and greatest commandment.  The next greatest commandment- to "love your neighbor as yourself", we are also guilty of not doing.  We have become so enamoured with the culture that we bow to the same idols as everyone else, and therefore loose any moral authority that should be ours as the people of God.  This is because moral authority is exercised through Spiritual power gained through intimacy with God.  The spirit of antichrist cannot operate in environments where God and His Word are held in esteem.  It cannot thrive when the truth is proclaimed and championed.  It cannot even exist where people have spiritual discernment and cannot and will not stand for people who lie to them (and we could show dozens of examples on either side of the political aisle).

 

President Ronald Reagan was found of quoting the following- "America is great, because America is good.  If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."  In God's eyes, goodness is defined as having a heart that is yearning after Him and His ways, as seen through His Word, the bible.  We are at the brink of turning our back on that, if not already there.

 

If the church and her people do not see this as a shaking and immediately repent and turn back to the pure faith, then America will join the other great empires of the past on the dump heap of history.

 

With a heavy heart and with much love-

Pastor John