Are You Ready?

Memorial Day is a national holiday set aside for the purpose of honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice of their lives while serving in the United States Military. I strongly believe we owe these brave and unselfish warriors the respect of setting aside a portion of that day each year to remember what our freedom cost them and their families.
After attending two different Memorial Day services on May 30th, I came home after lunch and listened to the messages on my home voice mail. Someone from the hospital left a message that one of our church members had been taken to the Emergency Room, "and did not make it." When I heard the name, I thought it surely must be a mistake. This man was the picture of health and only 51 years old. He was engaged to be married in September, had a strong faith, and was liked by all who knew him. But, physical death happens to us all (Hebrews 9:27). At no time are we made more aware of that truth than when someone we knew and loved, someone we spent a lot of time with, is suddenly no longer with us. The writer of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, reminds us, there is "a time to be born and a time to die"
(3:2). We greet the birth of a baby with celebration and the death of a loved one with sorrow. Both life and death are a reality of the human experience.
Because this individual had a relationship with Jesus Christ as a result of his commitment to Jesus Christ, I am confident he is present with the Lord right now (II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21). Some people have a warning that death is imminent. Most don't. When that day and moment comes that we take our last breath, will we be ready? Will we be prepared to meet our Lord? Everyone will someday see him. And when we do, we will either see him as our Savior, or as our judge. What we choose to do with Jesus while we still live in the flesh, will determine how we see him when we leave this flesh.
Don't wait until later to put your life in order. There may not be a later (James 4:13-17). If we know what we should do, let's do it now! For scripture is clear, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of (our) salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2). If you are not sure what steps to take in order to be ready to see Jesus now, please give me a call. God loves you and so do I!
Kerry

Discovering God in America

Faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, has played an integral role in the formation and the continuation of the United States of America. To believe otherwise, is to be ignorant of the historical facts. One small example is our representative form of government. Knowing how evil the human heart can be (Jeremiah 17:9), our forefathers chose to give different responsibilities to three separate branches of government, rather than trusting any one human being or any one group of people with all the power. Isaiah 33:22 reads, "For the Lord is our judge (judicial branch), our lawgiver (legislative branch), and our king (executive branch). He will care for us and save us." Our nation's founders wisely delegated governmental responsibility to many different people with the understanding that all of us are ultimately dependent upon God for being our judge, lawgiver, and king.
That dependence upon God has worked well during times when America truly trusted Him to lead and guide us; whether it was through war, natural disasters, economic collapse, and more. There is currently a war of values and ideas taking place in our country. On the one side are those who believe "God is still involved in human affairs" (Benjamin Franklin), and on the other side are those who do not believe in God, period. Secularists have diligently, methodically, and passionately been trying to remove God from our history books, our government, our courtrooms, our education, and more, with great success. Rather than blaming Christians for the problems plaguing our country, intelligent people recognize our problems are a direct consequence of ridding ourselves of God (John 15:5).
The time has come to bring God back to the CENTER of American life. Join with us as as New Hope Christian Church (3901 South Center in Marshalltown) and 200 other churches host a live simulcast event called, "Rediscover God in America." The speakers include; George Barna, David Barton, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Michelle Bachman, Haley Barbour, and more. The event is on Saturday, March 26th, lasts from 9am to 3pm and is free, although a donation will be received. There will be a break for lunch and attendees may enjoy any one of several restaurants, fast food, etc. within blocks of the church. Join us for this eye-opening event and make an impact on the future of our nation!
For more information you can check out our church web-site at www.newhopechristianchurch.net or www.rediscovergodinamerica.com

God is Good!

We have been blessed to have a college student from South Korea living with us since the beginning of January. His name is Jun-sik, but his grandfather gave him a biblical name of Samuel. I like using Samuel. This has required an adjustment on our part in terms of schedules (he needs rides to and from everywhere), language (sometimes I'm not sure Samuel's "yes" really means "yes"), sharing the bathroom, etc. Probably the hardest adjustment for both of us is in the area of food. When you become used to certain foods, spices, smells, and more, it is hard to get used to anything else. Many years ago, I did a short-term missions trip to Russia and that was a definite culinary experience. McDonald's in Moscow was a welcome and temporary relief from cow tongue and gelatin.
So far, Korean candy and rice are about all my American nose and taste buds can take. "Taste, food? Good?" he asks. More often than not, I have to say "no." Or, would that really be "yes"? One major thing Samuel and I both have in common is our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. His father is a preacher. The church meets on the main floor of their home in Korea and his family lives on the second floor. For his part, Samuel would love to be a youth minister (maybe a preacher) some day.
The Psalmist presents this invitation to all who don't know the Lord. "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! Fear the Lord, you His godly people, for those who fear Him will have all they need" (34:8&9). I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've had a financial need, a need for clarity on something I didn't understand, a need for guidance in what I should write and say, a need for quietness and rest, and EVERYTIME God has been faithful in providing me with exactly what I need. I know beyond a doubt that I didn't evolve from apes or amoeba. There is too much evidence for me to think I'm just the product of accidents that occurred over millions and billions of years. God manifests His existence to me through His creation, through His Word, and through my everyday experiences. I don't know where you are at in your life. I don't know what issues you may be dealing with at this very moment. What I do know is this; that if you taste of the Lord, if you open up His Word and read it, if you open up your heart and mind and pray to Him, you WILL see that He is good! Count on it!

Just Do It!

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Grandpa would get up early every morning to read from the pages of his worn-out Bible. Wanting to imitate his grandfather, the boy also tried reading the Bible every day, but didn't feel he was remembering much or getting anything out of it. "Grandpa, no matter how much I read the Bible, I still feel there is so much I don't understand. It seems like I forget what I read as soon as I close it. What good does reading the Bible do?"
The grandfather had been putting coal in the stove so he said to his grandson, "Take this basket that normally holds coal, go down to the river and bring me back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told and the water all leaked out of the basket before he could get it back to the house. Laughing, the grandfather said, "you are going to have to move faster the next time." Even though he did run faster, the boy still couldn't return before the water all ran out of the basket. When the boy went to get a bucket, the grandfather said, "I don't want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough."
Knowing the task was impossible, the boy wanted to show his grandpa that it just couldn't be done so he ran as fast as he could. By the time he got back, the basket was empty and he was out of breath. "See Papa, it's useless!"
The grandfather said, "Tell me what you see when you look in the basket." When he looked in the basket, the boy saw that the basket which had been dirty from holding coal, was now clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read the Bible, it will cleanse you and change you from the inside out."
Because the Bible is not just a compilation of writings from human beings, but rather comes from the heart and mind of God, it reveals us and speaks to us in super human ways (Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 55:10&11). There is no logical or rational way to describe how God is able to speak to us with such great timing and power the way He does in His Word. It can only be His Holy Spirit who leads us to find what we need to hear in this big book, at precisely the exact time we need to hear it.
Regardless of what time of year it is, accept the challenge of reading through God's Word every year for the rest of your life. You can either call the church office and order a chronological Bible which puts our reading in the order events actually occurred. Or, you can look online and order one, simply by typing in, "Chronological Bible" in your Search space.
You will not always remember everything you read, but I can promise you after being through it eleven straight years that my thinking about many topics has changed and my life has changed with it, for the positive. Quit making up excuses and JUST DO IT!

Rachel's Weeping?

When the evil King Herod sent soldiers to kill all the male boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years of age and younger, the Bible says his brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet, Jeremiah. "A cry was heard in Ramah - - weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead" (Matthew 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15). Have you ever wondered what that verse meant?
If you recall, Rachel was the wife of Jacob (Genesis 29:14-30), and Jacob was the grandson of Abraham. Jacob was the father of twelve sons who would make up the twelve tribes of Israel. Ramah is fairly close to Bethlehem and was the place where Rachel (who is the symbolic mother of Israel), was buried around the year 1,600 B.C. (Gen.35:16-20). Approximately 1,000 years after Rachel's death (587 B.C.), Ramah became the gathering place where the Babylonian soldiers rounded up the Jews, chained them, and deported them to Babylon (II Kings 24:10-16; 25:11&12; II Chronicles 36:17-21).
Jeremiah, the prophet, was alive at the time so many Jews were chained and scattered throughout the Babylonian Empire. He witnessed this event and he noted (Jer.31:15) how the mother of Israel (Rachel) had to be figuratively weeping from her grave as her children were being led away from the land of Promise. And now, as the child of Promise is exiled to a far away land (Egypt), Matthew connects the story of Rachel's figurative sorrow in the Old Testament as her children were led away to Babylon, with the sorrow of the mothers in Bethlehem who have just lost their sons.
700 years before the birth of the Messiah, Isaiah wrote, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine" (9:2). The apostle John wrote about Jesus, "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it" (John 1:4&5). It is important that we note what neither Isaiah or John said. Neither of them indicated the darkness disappeared with the coming of the Light. We all know that. We are confronted by evil all too often. The weeping was real that night in Bethlehem when the Devil used Herod to carry out his dark deed. Herod may have had his way for a day, but every Herod is eventually doomed. With the coming of the Light, God sent a message. Evil is defeated. It has yet to be totally eliminated, but it will. Regardless of how the world attempts to remove Christ from Christmas and put out his light, the days of evil's reign are limited. God's entrance to earth in a manger was a spiritual invasion of the darkness far greater than the Allies invasion of Normandy in World War II. The prophecies are true! The Savior is real! The King will return! And when he does; EVERY knee will bow, some in worship and some in fear. When he does; EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, some in praise and others by force (Philippians 2:9-11). No wonder the angels were commissioned by God to sing that news to the shepherds. And now, God has commissioned you and I to share that news with the whole world. Will we?

Did You Know?

During the third and fourth centuries, it became customary for men living in the area we now know as Germany, to disarm themselves before entering a church building and worshipping the Lord. Most of these weapons were simple, wooden clubs which were effective as protection against robbers or wild animals. In time, the Christ-followers developed a game using these wooden clubs. After corporate worship was over, the clubs standing at the back of the sanctuary would be taken outside and placed together in a rectangle. Round stones would then be used to roll at the clubs and the more pins one knocked over, the more sins a person supposedly left behind during worship. This game eventually became more organized and intentional. In time, knocking down sins became a favorite past-time on Sunday afternoons. By the early 1500's, nine-pin bowling had become so popular that it grew beyond the church "parking lot" and found it's way into taverns and inns as a sport people would bet upon. Many say that this fun activity became Martin Luther's favorite sport and he loved the symbolism associated with Christians becoming "holy bowlers."
By the time bowling made it's way to the United States, it lost all it's association with Christianity and became a favorite sport for gamblers to bet upon. As a result, many local and state legislatures passed laws outlawing 'nine pin' bowling as a sport. But, some bright entrepeneur circumvented that legislation by replacing nine-pin bowling in a rectangle, with ten-pin bowling using a triangle. And now, you know, "the rest of the story."
Of course, we also know that sins can never be symbolically "bowled over" by knocking some wooden pins down with a bowling ball. Sins are forgotten and forgiven by a gracious God who knocked our sins over when He accepted the blood of His Son as a substitute for the sins we've committed (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17; Psalm 103:11&12). Are there sins we need to confess to the Lord and turn our hearts, minds, and lives away from so that we can be more in favor with God (I John 1:9)? It's really not a game to do so. It's a blessing made possible only by God's grace. What's keeping you from God's forgiveness?

I Was Blessed!

The assignment was fairly easy. A number of Sudanese Christians from Kansas City and Rochester, Minnesota were using our church building to support and pray for a Sudanese family that has been worshipping with us in Marshalltown, Iowa. I was asked to say a prayer at the beginning of their program. No problem! The program started at 7pm on a Saturday night, after our regular worship service was already completed. I said my prayer and then they asked me to say one at the end also. I was wondering how long the program would last, but okay, I can do that.
The program consisted of a number of these friends, who had all once lived in the same tribe in Sudan and who now all lived in the United States for several years; speaking in support of Mameer and Anna (the people in our congregation) who had purchased a house in the last year and suffered through a couple of recent, physical accidents. About 30% of them spoke in English and the others spoke in their native language, requiring someone to translate into English. After the program, which lasted nearly 2 hours, they insisted I come eat with them (at 9:00pm ?). So I did, and I discovered that becoming a missionary in Sudan would require me getting used to food that I'm not sure I want to get used to.
I came that night to be a blessing and as is so often the case, it was I who was blessed. Here are just a few of the lessons I learned that night:
1. There is a reason the apostle Paul said that someone speaking in tongues required someone else having the spiritual gift to interpet what was being said (I Cor.14). I still could have nodded and smiled without an interpreter telling me in English what the speaker had said, but how would I have known that I was nodding and smiling for the right reasons?
2. I have brothers and sisters in Christ anywhere and everywhere that I find people (regardless of their skin color, the language they speak, the food they eat, or the customs of their culture)who love Jesus Christ (John 1:12&13; Galatians 3:26-28). These members of my spiritual family probably had a deeper faith in God than I did, because of the many hardships they have seen God bring them through.
3. These individuals are probably a whole lot more grateful for the blessings of living in America than most of us Americans. They prayed for our country with a fervor that many Christians in America don't even do. They remember what they didn't have in Sudan and the possibilities they do have in America (Luke 7:40-50).
4. We are all nothing more than nomads passing through this life. This world is not our permanent home (Philippians 1:27; 3:20&21; Hebrews 11:13-16; 13:14; I Peter 2:11) because God has something even better prepared for us.
I look forward to that day when all my brothers and sisters in Christ from various tribes and tongues, can gather in our permanent homeland where we will all praise our God in the same language. I look forward to that day when there will no longer be any barriers between us because we are in the presence of the lamb of God. Until that day, may ALL God's people live, labor, and love in such a way as to be an answer to Jesus' prayer, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, ON EARTH as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).