Family Bonds: Marriage

"What if God created marriage to make us more holy than happy?"

This is the question author Gary Thomas asks in his book "Sacred Marriage". If we ponder this question we may find that it can bring a dynamic change in how we view our marriages! If happiness is way down God's list of reasons for creating marriage, then why do we see so many marriages end because "I'm just not happy with this person anymore". What if we began seeing marriage as one of the tools God uses to conform us to the image of His Son. What if we began to view our marriages as a spiritual discipline instead of means to simply meet our needs. What if we began to view our marriages as a sacred possession...a sacred creation of God...a sacred gift? If we could adopt these views our marriages would cry out to the world that our God is good, He is loving, He would die for us (and did!), He wants intimacy and oneness with us!

So in order to investigate this "sacred" view of marriage we must do three things:

1) Search for God in our marriages: We'll call this Sacred Searching

Throughout the Bible you will find God using marriage as the illustration or symbol for what He is trying to do in us and through us to the world! For example: "...as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." (ISA 62:5) Here God uses marriage to illustrate how He feels about His people! He feels like a bridegroom on his wedding day (or even His wedding night!). It describes commitment, passion, intimacy, excitement, joy, love...and on and on!

2) Learn what our marriages can teach us: We'll call this Sacred Learning

Through the illustration of marriage and matrimony God can teach us things like love, perseverance, forgiveness, and servant hood, along with many other necessary life lessons and disciplines! Marriage can be a training ground for so many areas of our life! By learning to love our spouse unconditionally we learn how to love God unconditionally...By persevering in marriage we learn to persevere in many other areas of life...When we can forgive the person who knows us better than anyone, our spouse, we can learn to forgive others for much lesser things...And when we can learn to serve our spouse, even when we don't feel like it, or when we feel they don't deserve it, then we can learn to serve God and learn to serve most anyone!

3) Allow God to reveal His glory through our marriage: We'll call this Sacred Presence

In the Old Testament God gave Moses very detailed instructions for how to build the Ark of the Covenant. One of the instructions was that he was to put two angels kneeling with their wings outstretched toward one another. This gives us a portrait of what marriage can be when we follow God's instructions. How, you might ask? Well, angels are created beings, just like humans, and so God wanted two created beings with their arms reaching toward one another placed on the ark and then he said this in Exodus 25:22, "There, above the cover between the Cherubim that are over the Ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you...". God has promised that when we reach for each other as husbands and wives...He will be in between us...meeting with us...and the closer we get to each other...the closer we both get to God! That's God's promise to us in our marriages!

We can choose to have a sacred view of marriage. We MUST have a sacred view of marriage if we are to see it and live it like God wants. Does God want us to be happy in our marriages? Yes, of course, but is happiness the point? No. God has much higher purposes for our marriages than we often understand or imagine. But if we search, learn and pursue His presence, we'll find that He has beautiful days ahead for all of our marriages!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Family Bonds: Mothers

2 Timothy 1:5-7 & 3:14-17 reveals a process through which our mothers (certainly Timothy's mother!) can deeply impact our lives! Paul writes to Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline...¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The process we hear Paul describing goes like this:

1. Our mothers pass on a "sincere faith" to us.

It's important to note that whether you were parented well by your mother or not, this process is her dream for you. She was made in the image of God and, like God, she longs for this process to be lived out in your life! Timothy's grandmother and mother were so influential in his sincere faith that God chose to single them out through the writings of the Apostle Paul!

2. That sincere faith leads to salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Paul refers to "the gift of God which is in you". This refers both to the spiritual gifts and calling that Timothy received, but also to the ultimate gift of God...Himself! His Holy Spirit is the gift in us that will bloom and produce all the good we will every know or do in our lives!

3. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand and apply God's Word.

Paul goes on to tell Timothy that through his mother "from infancy" he was taught the Holy Scriptures. He then details how that knowledge will bless Timothy and those he is called to teach, lead and reach!

4. The we are equipped through the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God's Word to serve the world and accomplish the mission God created us for.

The point of this entire process is not just to bless us, or honor our mothers, or make much of us in any way! The point of this process is to lead all of God's children to acts of service that will lead others to know and follow Him! Paul said, "so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work"! This is the product...the payoff...the sum total of all the time, energy and effort that our mothers poured into us! God uses our mothers to prepare us to SERVE THE WORLD!

What a blessing mothers are! I know my mom was a key factor in the development of my own "sincere faith". And now I'm blessed with a wife who is blessing her own children in the same ways! Take the time to thank God not only for your mom, but for the ways in which He has used her to prepare you to serve Him well! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Battleground: The Flesh

What a powerful Sunday yesterday! Isn't it awesome to see God at work in our church? I was overwhelmed with the cardboard testimonies and the power of God at work within people. Thank you to everyone who willingly chose to share their thorns yesterday and to all those who were actively involved in the service.

In James chapter 1 we read that we are tempted when by our own sinful desires, we are led away and enticed to sin. Sometimes we blame God or the devil but the real enemy is our own self. The battle against the flesh is often unseen but one of the most intense battlegrounds we struggle to win on. Yesterday I shared that we can experience victory in the battle against the flesh through...

1. Salvation in Christ Jesus
• John 12:23-26
2. Dying to Self
• John 3:22-30
3. The Power of Holy Spirit Living
• Romans 6:8-14
• Titus 2:11-12
4. Relying on God in Adversity (hardship, problems, difficulty, misfortune)
• 2 Corinthians 12:7-12

Let us have hope during this battle that Christ has already won the battle over sin. Remember that, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:26) and that "He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion." (Philippians 1:6) You CAN be the victor and not a victim. I wonder how many others have a cardboard testimony. If you would like to share what battle God is bringing you through feel free to do so at the welcome center or post something right here on the blog.

I'm starting 5 days of spiritual renewal today. I'll be spending much time in prayer, reading and getting some rest from ministry. I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Jeremy

Beirut Trip - Wednesday

Our trip to Beirut, Lebanon has been powerful, inspiring and challenging, and all of that in only our first two days! We arrived safely late Monday evening and got up early Tuesday to assist in the food program to the Iraqi refugees (see the picture of the bags of food that we handed out). Tuesday afternoon we went on some home visits to meet and encourage some of the Iraqi families. I simply cannot go into detail on this blog what these dear families have endured in Iraq since the war began. I will share more in person when I'm back in the states. Below you see a picture of our home visit team: Bob Moss, Bashir, Milad, Amal and myself. All of them are amazing and godly people, doing powerful work with these Iraqi families! Amal's ministry with the women is one of the most inspiring things I've witnessed in recent memory!

Wednesday morning (Today) we assisted again with the food program. Over the past two days we have provided food to 200 Iraqi families who are trying to begin a new life for themselves in Lebanon, or are waiting on United Nations approval to move to other countries. Wednesday afternoon we again did home visits. We have visited with 10 Iraqi families in their homes and I must say these have been some of the most difficult, but inspiring stories, conversations and encounters I've ever had.

Tonight we will be sharing a dinner with Camille & Hoda Melki, the founders and leaders of Heart for Lebanon Ministry. Camille and I were at Anderson University together and I am truly inspired by the leadership and direction he provides to a variety of ministries here in Lebanon. He's one of the most effective leaders I've spent time with in recent years! Tomorrow we will spend most of our day ministering to the H4L staff and leaders. That will be an honor for me after seeing them in action over the past few days. Friday morning Camille plans to take us on a bit of sightseeing and then Friday evening we have been invited to a dinner celebrating Camille's recent ministry at the Mediterranean Bible College where he served as President for the last 6 years before beginning the H4L ministry.

God is powerfully at work in Beirut, Lebanon! My prayer is that we can be equally as effective in Mooresville, Indiana! I know we will! See you all soon!

Battleground: The World (Persecution)

The world could be defined by the following equation:
Satan's domain + Human sinful nature = The World

Humans are faced with a variety of battles they must fight throughout their lives. For Christians the battles can typically be in one of three areas: The World, The Devil, and The Flesh. This week we look at the battleground we call "The World". Another way to express it is to look at the various ways the world persecutes us! Here are three of the primary tactics "The World" uses against us:

1) Distraction: The world wants to divert our attention away from God! The world tempts us with many lesser things! God offers us unrivaled blessing and yet we pursue other "gods", we worship and serve other "masters". Just a few of the biggies are: Money, Sex, Power and the need for More! God's Word is clear that we cannot serve both God and money. His Word is also clear that sexual immorality is like worshiping something created rather than the Creator. The pursuit of power mimics the pursuit of Lucifer as he sought to sit upon the throne of God. And finally we find ourselves pursuing more and more and more and more of all of these distractions! Psalm 141:8 says, "But my eyes are fixed on you, O sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge - do not give me over to death". The Psalmist understood that to allow ourselves to be distracted from God, to have our eyes fixed on anything else...would bring death. He also understood that to fix our eyes on God would provide refuge during the battles we face in this world.

2) Diminishing: The world wants to devalue the image of God in us! We are told countless lies about who we are and who we can (or cannot) become! We're told that we should conform to the ridiculous expectations of the world: That we should all have supermodel good looks, movie star charisma, pro athlete abilities, and enough money to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous! God's Word, however, paints a picture of love, hope, redemption, acceptance, forgiveness and privilege! All given freely to us by God through His Son, Jesus! We are made in the image of God! We are children of the King! We have been given and imperishable inheritance from God! We owe no explanations, no excuses and no deference to the world! 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are a "dwelling place of the Holy Spirit". Do you realize what this means? God has chosen to dwell IN US! What do we need from the world? Nothing! If God is for us, who can be against us!

3) Domination: The world will persecute the people of God! It has persecuted millions and millions of believers before us! Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you". But He also said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." From the Old Testament prophets...to Jesus...to His followers...Stephen...the Apostles...to modern day...Dietrich Bonhoeffer...Jim Elliott...Cassie Bernall...Rachel Scott...to the 171,000 Christians who are martyred each calendar year...We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on as we follow and serve our God even against the domination and persecution of the world!

So what tactics do WE use against the world? Well, ours are the common, everyday disciplines and practices that Christians have used for centuries:

1) Worship: Jesus said we were to "worship God and serve him only". As we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, we are less tempted to worship or serve lesser masters and lesser gods!

2) God's Word: His Word is truth! It speaks the truth to us about who we are in Christ, who we can become through Him! His Word is the light for our race through this world! The Apostle Paul called God's Word "the sword of the Spirit", it is one of our most powerful weapons in battle!

3) Prayer: It was Jesus' intimate times alone with His Father in prayer that sustained and equipped Him for the battles He faced against a world that hated Him! Jesus prayed for us! That we would be sustained by God while we were in this world and that God would use us to show the world that Jesus came to reconcile it all to God!

Next week we look at the battleground of spiritual warfare...the devil! We cannot fall asleep and wrongly assume this battle is not raging around us! It's time to engage the enemy! Join us!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Battleground Sermon Series - Begins April 19

We hope everyone will join us over the next 3 weeks as we explore the three primary battlegrounds that we contend on throughout our lives:

1) The World: It's the place Satan was sent after his expulsion from heaven, it's the place Adam & Eve were sent after sinning against God. So Satan's domain + Human sinful nature = A challenging battleground for all of us!

2) Spiritual Warfare: This may be the most difficult battleground to fight because it can appear to be unseen. Satan and his angels hate the people of God! Satan and his angels hate the Church that Jesus established! This means war! This battle is very real, we must engage it!

3) The Flesh: This is where it gets personal! This is the weakness, failure, and temptation that comes with our sinful nature. This battleground is internal so it often goes unnoticed and unconfronted. This is the battleground within us!

You will not want to miss any of these opportunities to learn and understand the battles that face all people, but especially the people of God! You will especially want to be here on the closing week as we have a special closing to this series that you will NOT want to miss!

Hope to see you this Sunday!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

WILL STARVE FOR FOOD

Truelife Student Ministries (Junior High & Senior High Youth Ministries) is doing the 30 Hour Famine in association with World Vision on April 24-25. The Famine will be part of the Rock of Love Tour with Meridian Church of God and Avon Community Church of God. Each participant has to raise at least $30 for world hunger and then take part in a 30 hour fast. It's going to be tough but together we can do it. All students who desire to take part in the famine must have a parental consent form filled out and turned in ASAP. See Pastor Jeremy for more information about the 30 Hour Famine.