September 12, 2024
From the Pastor
Are You Easily Irritated
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Corinthians 13:5-7 (KJV)
Love is not irritable.
Do you have a hair-trigger temper?
Are you a person who easily flies off the handle or is easily irritated?
Years ago, when I was first saved, there was a deacon in our church who asked me to help for him with some projects at his home.
I thought he was one of the most wonderful men I’d ever known.
I worked with this man, and on one occasion I saw this man I greatly respected get so angry.
He picked up a tool and threw it all the way across the room, muttering something that
I would not want to repeat.
I was so hurt because I’d looked up to him.
He was a leader in our church, and I was just a young person.
I thought how sad that this man was so easily provoked.
Beloved, We all have our faults.
There have been those moments when I have taken my eyes off the Lord and gotten provoked, and the Holy Spirit has reminded me, “Roger, the reason you did that is because that’s what you were full of.”
What spills out is what you’re full of.
We need to learn to drown insults in a river of love.
One of the precious virtues of love is that it is not irritable.
Let me ask you, how easily are you irritated?
What are some particular things that set you off?
Then I ask, how has someone’s patience made an impact on your life?
Why don’t you ask someone you are close with to keep you accountable for times you are easily irritated.
Resolve to drown insults you receive in a river of love.
Thank you for allowing us to share God’s Word with you this year.
Linda and I love you ALL!!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
September 19, 2024
From Your Pastor
Are You Discouraged?
6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. Nehemiah 4:6-10 (KJV)
Nehemiah ignored the bitter remarks of the enemy, prayed to God, and continued to build. So the opposition of ridicule was overcome by the people.
Then, when the enemy saw that laughing at them and ridiculing them are not going to stop the building of the wall, they begin to move in another direction.
8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Once again we see that prayer is Nehemiah’s resource and recourse.
His motto is now “pray and watch.”
Nehemiah said; “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God.”
Now, It is fine to use pious platitudes when we back them up with something.
I know many people who will say, “Let us pray about it.”
Have you ever heard someone say that?
What I want to know is, what are you going to do after you pray?
– I once asked a man at church to do something .
He said, “Well, I will pray about it.” I replied, “Wait a minute.
If that is your way of saying no to me, just say it right now to my face, and I will find someone else to do it.
I don’t think you need to pray about this particular matter.
Either you can do it or you can’t do it.
Either you will or you won’t. – Which is it?”
To tell the truth, he wouldn’t do it.
He was just putting me off, and our conversation enabled me to find someone else for the job.
There are many people today who simply mouth pious platitudes.
Nehemiah could have uttered a pious platitude.
He could have said, “We are trusting the Lord.
We won’t do anything.” That is the easy way out friend.
That is what many people are doing today.
They say they are trusting the Lord, but what are they doing about it?
If you really trust the Lord, you will be doing something.
Nehemiah knew that the enemy was plotting to come against him, so he set a watch.
This is what God expected him to do, of course.
Not only was there trouble without; there was trouble within.
Beloved, this is the time to be careful, because the Devil can hurt you most severely from the inside.
One of Satan’s greatest weapons against God’s people is discouragement.
Discouragement is one of life’s most deadly diseases.
It’s universal and it’s recurring but, thank God, it can be cured.
What are the causes of discouragement?
There’s the problem of fatigue. We become wore down.
People become worn out. In this story from Nehemiah, God’s people were worn out; they were weighed down.
Listen, when you follow the Lord, you will face tough times.
Serving the Lord Jesus Christ is not always glamorous.
You can’t build without stones, but those stones sometimes are buried in rubbish.
But you can’t build on rubbish, either.
It’s not going to be all easy.
If the devil cannot laugh you out of service to the Lord Jesus Christ in your personal life and corporate life, but, he will try to discourage you.
He’ll come when the job is half done and say, “It can’t be done!
You are worn out.
You are weighed down. – Give up!”
But with Jesus, we can persevere.
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. Nehemiah 4:14 (KJV)
“Remember the Lord” was to be their motto, their rallying cry.
As you may remember in the Spanish-American War, our nation’s battle cry was “Remember the Maine.”
In World War I it was “Remember the Lusitania.”
In World War II it was “Remember Pearl Harbor.”
These were reminders of some past victory to stir them up to fight.
When Paul the apostle wrote his swan song to a young preacher named Timothy, he gave him a rallying cry.
The correct translation of 2 Timothy 2:8 is, “Remember Jesus Christ!”
That my friend, is the rallying cry of believers today.
“Remember the Lord” was the rallying cry for the Jews in Nehemiah’s day.
What are some things that discourage you from moving forward in your faith?
Encourage one another and pray God would protect from discouragement.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL!!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
September 26, 2024
From Your Pastor
We Need Our Minds Renewed by Christ
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
Another version of this verse is: “Keep thy heart above all keeping”—with all diligence, which means – With careful and persistent work or effort.
This is the most important thing to watch over. “For out of it are the issues of life.”
The life of the flesh is in the blood, and it is the heart that pumps that blood. William Harvey back in the seventeenth century discovered the circulation of the blood which revolutionized medical science.
Yet in Proverbs which was written about 2,700 years earlier, there is a recognition of the importance of the heart for the maintenance of life.
And the heart symbolizes the center of one’s innermost being.
The Lord Jesus said that it isn’t what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of a man. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19).
Some of the meanest things in the world come out of the human heart.
The heart is the seat of the total personality.
We are to keep our hearts with all diligence.
What we hear is important. – What we read and study is important.
What we see is important.
Listen, because. 3… if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:3-5 (KJV)
Look at it this way; The relationship of mind and brain is like the relationship between a pianist and a piano. – The piano is the brain.
The pianist is the mind that uses the brain.
The person who plays the piano makes a big difference as to what comes out of it.
The most dangerous thing in the world is a man with a bad mind and a good brain. – The devil, is a clever devil. – When you get saved, you don’t get a new brain. – You get a new mind.
The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not.
When the devil attacks, he doesn’t hurt your intelligence.
What he does is distort your mind. – He blinds your mind.
Proverbs 4:23 says: “Keep your heart with all diligence.”
The word heart in this verse does not mean the organ that pumps the blood; it means the center of your thought life. “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
We need to have our minds renewed by Christ.
When we allow Him to change our mindsets, He will use the brains He has given us and show us how to serve and live with Him.
Friend, How can your mind be renewed by Christ?
Pray and ask God to renew your mind using the words of Romans 12:1-2.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2 (KJV)
By an act of the will, we place our total personalities at the disposal of God.
This is our “reasonable service,” our rational service, and it is well-pleasing to God.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL!!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
October 03, 2024
From Your Pastor
God Sees Potential in You
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17(KJV)
A thing isn’t valuable only for what it is but also for what it may become—its potential.
Do you realize the incredible potential in you?
Theoretically, there are three people in the seat you occupy right now: The person you are at this moment, The person you could be for evil, and The person you could be if you yield your life to God.
The person you will be if you will yield your life to Jesus Christ has so much potential.
If you say yes to Him, one day you will be conformed to His image.
You will be like Jesus.
The Psalmist said, “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness”
(Psalm 17:15).
You could be like the Lord Jesus Christ—that is some big potential!
Michelangelo was a famous artist.
It’s reported that when asked how he created a sculpture, he said, “I saw the angel in the marble, and carved until I set him free.”
He did not see a block of marble; he saw a work of art; he saw the potential—a possibility.
That’s what God sees when He looks at you.
You probably dare not dream what you will be if you give your heart to Jesus Christ.
What a change, what a difference has been wrought when we are made in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Our lives on Earth will be drastically different.
Our beauty in Heaven, once we’re fully restored, will be indescribable.
Do you see yourself as a person with potential?
If not; What would it take to surrender to God’s plan instead of your own idea of your potential?
Do this – Encourage another believer about his or her potential in Christ.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL !!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
October 10, 2024
From Your Pastor
At prayer meeting last night I remembered this account and wanted to share with everyone today.
Seeing Others Through God’s Eyes
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17(KJV)
Years ago, I heard a story that moved me.
Down in South Holston Lake, Virginia, a man was driving a high-powered boat under Avens bridge.
He hit a bridge pylon, was thrown out of the boat, and nearly drowned.
They fished him out of the water and were giving CPR to him on the bridge, trying to do what they could to save him.
Another man stopped when he saw the scene.
He thought, “That’s interesting.
I want to see what is happening.
It looks like people are still working to help him.
How epic that I get to see this today.”
And then they turned the man’s face, and the man who’d been crossing the bridge said, “That’s my brother!”
When he saw the face of his brother, he was transformed.
He said, “Hey, call the ambulance! – Keep giving him CPR!
You people pray!
That’s my brother.” – Before, he’d just seen that man on the bridge as any other man; now, he recognized the man as his brother, his flesh and blood.
Friend, You need to see every man as your potential brother.
You need to see every woman as your potential sister.
You need to have this confidence that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
When we fish for fish, we take a fish out of a beautiful life into death, but when we fish for men, we take men out of a horrible life into a beautiful life in Heaven.
Who is a potential brother or sister in Christ in whom you need to invest?
How do you sacrifice and serve your friends and family?
How could that be translated in the way you serve a potential brother or sister in Christ?
Do This – Go out of your way to serve a potential brother or sister in Christ today.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL !!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
October 17, 2024
From Your Pastor
Hope for Broken Vessels
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:6 (KJV)
Have you made a mess of your life?
Do you wish you could have another chance or start over again?
If that’s the way you feel, I have good news for you: God wants to make your life over anew, and He can do it today if you’ll let Him.
He sent His prophet Jeremiah to teach this lesson to Israel.
Jeremiah 18:1-2 says, 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Jeremiah 18:1-2 (KJV)
Pottery is one of the oldest arts in the world, and it remains virtually unchanged to this present time.
The potter would take a lump of clay and twist it, knead it, and pound it until all of the bubbles and impurities were out of it and it was soft and pliable.
Then, he would put the clay on his wheel which was turned by a treadle. The potter would throw the lump of clay right in the middle of that wheel, and the wheel would spin.
Then, the potter would caress the clay with his talented fingers and smooth it.
And from that unlovely, unlikely lump of clay, there would come a marvelously beautiful vessel.
Verse six tells us very clearly that God is the Potter, and mankind is the clay: “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel”
God is the master Workman, and He wants to make something beautiful out of your life.
You’re like a Vessel Made
There are two things that form the vessel: the touch of the Father’s hand and the turning of the wheel.
The wheel represents the circumstances of our daily lives.
God sees to it that our lives revolve around certain events, and the whole time God is touching our lives and making them what He wants them to be.
And we’re like a Vessel Marred
But Jeremiah 18:4 says the vessel was marred in the hand of the potter.
I’ll guarantee you the problem was not in the Potter but in the clay.
As with clay, there are two things that can keep your life from being what it ought to be: The clay might contain a hidden impurity — a flaw beneath the surface.
Down deep there’s some secret sin that nobody knows.
Or, perhaps the clay is just not pliable enough.
Maybe it’s stiff and unyielding.
The Lord tells you to witness, but you won’t.
He tells you to give, but you don’t.
You need to forgive, but you can’t.
A Vessel Mended
I’ve got great news! – There is still hope for you.
Verse four says, “…he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”
It was still in the hands of the Potter.
God could still make this vessel again because the clay was still soft enough.
God can take you right now where you are and make out of your life another vessel.
God can mend a broken life if you give Him all the pieces.
Just turn it over to Him and say, “Here it is, Lord.”
God wants to give you a second chance.
A Vessel Mutilated
But with this message of hope comes a warning.
In Jeremiah 19 God told Jeremiah to get a vessel from the potter.
And verse ten says, “Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee.”
God said, “Do you see this clay vessel?
Watch it as it is smashed to smithereens, unable to be fixed.”
God is saying that people can go on in their sins until the clay is set and hardened.
God is the God of a second chance, but there comes a time when a life is so hardened by sin that God gives that individual up.
You’ll cross God’s deadline, and like a vessel, you cannot be put together again.
But that’s not God’s plan or desire.
He yearns for the soft clay of our hearts to mold them and make them beautiful and useful.
Yield to His touch.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL!!
God Bless
Pastor Roger
October 24, 2024
From Your Pastor
Are You Experiencing Joy Today
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:12-13 (KJV)
Dr. Harry Ironside would to go every year to Grand Rapids for a Bible conference at Mel Trotter’s mission.
Mel Trotter had been an alcoholic, and after he had come to Christ, he opened a mission to reach other men who were in his former condition.
The owner of a hotel which had just been built in Grand Rapids had been an alcoholic and had been led to Christ by Mel Trotter.
He told Mel, “When you have a speaker or visitor come to your mission, you send him over to the hotel.
We will keep him here free of charge.”
When Dr. Ironside arrived at that hotel, the man ushered him up to the presidential suite. He had the best apartment in the hotel.
Dr. Ironside had never been in a place like that before. He called Mel on the phone and said, “Listen, Mel, you don’t have to put me up like this.
I don’t need all this luxury. All I want is a room with a comfortable bed, and a desk and a lamp where I can study.”
Mel assured him that the room was not costing him or the mission anything; it was being provided free of charge.
He said, “Harry, Paul said he knew how to abound and he knew how to be abased. Now you learn to abound this week, will you?”
I heard of a little boy and an old preacher who both went out to see the Grand Canyon.
The old preacher wrote back to his wife, saying, “Today, I’ve seen the handiwork of God.
I’ve seen God as He put colors on His palette and as He took His fingers and sculptured a masterpiece.”
And he went on in dazzling words to describe the Grand Canyon.
The little boy wrote back to his mother: “Guess what Mama? Today, I spit a mile.” You can be surrounded by beauty and not see it.
Do you have eyes to see the beauty God has given to the world?
Then Verse 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Now,this really should be translated the way Paul wrote it: “I can do all things in Christ which strengtheneth me.”
When Paul says all things, does he literally mean all things?
Does it mean you can lift cars jump up and fly? Of course not.
Paul says, “I can do all things in Christ”—that is, in the context of the will of Christ for your life.
Whatever Christ has for you to do, He will supply the power.
Whatever gift He gives you, He will give the power to exercise that gift.
A gift is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer.
As long as you function in Christ, you will have power.
Earlier, in Philippians 4:8, Paul said to meditate on “whatever things are of good report.”
The Book of Philippians was written from a prison but smells of Heaven. There is peace, hope, joy, even from that dark place.
In Verse 11, Paul told the people not to feel sorry for him. He said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”
Paul could live with joy and a hopeful outlook because he had Christ.
Today, you have the same beauty and hope to behold, regardless of your circumstances. What is your outlook on life like right now?
How has God shaped the way you see the world?
What would it look like to live content in Christ?
What would be different? What would stay the same?
Why don’t you challenge a friend to go through an entire day with a joyful outlook without complaining.
If you get the total Word of God, you will get the total will of God for this life, and you will have a basis on which you can operate. There is joy, There is satisfaction and sheer delight in being in the will of God and doing what God wants you to do.
Thank all of you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you today.
Linda and I love you ALL!!
God Bless
Pastor Roger