OCTOBER    A key principle for Christian living is found in the words of Jesus in the last phrase of John 15:5, “…Apart from Me you can do nothing.” When I think about this, I am always amazed at the truth of it in every area of my life. So, this month I want to encourage you to ponder this truth in your own life as I share some of the areas of my life where I apply it.
First, as a husband. God called Tina and I together and then married us in 1977. Up to that point, my life priorities were God first, His mission for my life second, and then my birth family third. But those priorities changed when we were joined together as wife and husband. The proper order was still God first, but now my mate became my second priority. My responsibility as a husband is a tall order. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” While I am strongly and deeply attracted to Tina, to love her in the same way that Christ loved the church demands that I let Jesus love her through me. Thus, to fulfill my obligation to my spouse, I can do nothing apart from Jesus.
Next, as a father. God blessed us with three children. My responsibilities to them have changed over the years. As small, growing children, it was to protect and provide, to love and nurture, and to teach and train. Now that they are all grown and on their own, it is to pray for them, support their families and be a godly example to our grandchildren. I am still here for them, even though as we get older, they are    more-and-more stepping up to love and support us. To be the best loving, supportive, godly examples, we can do nothing apart from Jesus!
Then, of course is my personal walk with God. He is first priority in my life, by a long shot! I want to grow in His grace and knowledge. I want to resist (flee) temptation whenever confronted. I want to pray       fervently. I want to share my faith with others. I want to continue to be passionate about this ministry to which He has called me. And so much more. For all that to happen, there is no time to be apart from    Jesus!
I hope you are getting the idea for you own life. Consider your priorities, the people in your life, and the lifestyle you want to live that is pleasing to the Lord. And remember Jesus’ words, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” But also remember the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” God has already supplied everything we need to do and be everything to which He has called us. The rest of John 15:5 states, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Let us be sure to remain in Jesus each and every day of our life!
In Christ our living hope,
Pastor Bill

Back when I was leading worship, an important task in determining which songs we would sing in our worship services was to evaluate the song through the lens of the Scriptures. What I was looking for was strong biblical content that was musically beautiful and lyrically poetic. Some songs were rich with content but clumsy in their wording. Other songs were a little light on content but creative and beautifully expressed a simple truth. My most   important tool in the evaluation process was to see how many of the lines and phrases in the lyric I could match with verses from the Bible. So, I decided for this newsletter article I would apply this to a favorite song of mine that Eric introduced us to some time back. The song is titled “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham.
 
The song begins, “How great the chasm that lay between us.” A reminder that apart from Christ we are separated from God. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your wrongdoings have caused a separation from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” This is our lot apart from Jesus. The song continues, “How high the mountain I could not climb.” Our situation, apart from Christ, was insurmountable in our own efforts.
 
As the song’s first verse continues, “In desperation, I turned to heaven and spoke your name into the night.” When we put our faith in Jesus, He saved us from a truly impossible and desperate situation.  Ephesians 2:4-5 says it this way, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” We were spiritually dead. We needed life; we needed to be born again. The next lines of the song, “Then through the darkness Your loving kindness tore through the shadows of my soul.” We needed light, the light of Jesus. John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”
 
And so verse one concludes, “The work is finished, the end is written Jesus Christ, my living hope.” It speaks to the completed work of Jesus. In fact that’s just what Jesus said in John 19:30 as He hung on the cross, “…It is finished…” Everything necessary for our forgiveness, for our salvation was completed by Jesus, nothing lacking. Thus Jesus Christ is, indeed, our living hope. And that directs us to what I believe is the theme verse for this song, First Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
 
The phrases of the chorus and the other two verses of the song are likewise reflected in the pages of Scripture. It was really quite fun and enriching to connect the Bible to the various themes of this song that is so rich with content. When it comes to worship and worship songs, it is vitally important that we       remember the words of Jesus spoken to the woman at the well, “But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
 
In Christ our living hope,
Pastor Bill

Does God come to us or do we come to God? I’d like to consider four passages of Scripture that help to answer this     question.
 
The first is in the Book of Hebrews.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. (Heb. 11:6 NASB 2020) 
 
This indicates a responsibility for the one “who comes to God.” Of course, the focus of the verse is the belief or faith of the person who comes. This verse puts the responsibility on the seeker to come to God.
 
The second passage is found in James chapter four.
Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (Jas. 4:8 NASB 2020) 
 
James puts the responsibility squarely on us to “come close to God.” The Book of Revelation invites us to come to God, to take freely of His offer of life (Rev. 22:17). So once again we see our responsibility here to come to God.
 
The next two passages indicate that God came to us.
 
The first is in the Gospel of John.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44 NASB 2020) 
 
Clearly God is involved in drawing us to Jesus. Whether He simply ‘clears the path’ for us to come to Him at the right time, or, whether there is an almost irresistible attraction that brings us to him, it’s not clear. What is clear is that God is
actively involved in “drawing” us to Jesus! And we can’t come to Him unless God draws us.
 
The final passage to consider is John 12:32.
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” (John 12:32 NASB 2020) 
 
Jesus is actively involved in bringing people to a saving knowledge of God. He draws us to Himself.
 
So, did we come to God or did God come to us? It is an amazing moment when we realize that it is both/and. We come to God, and God comes to us. We don’t find God until He first finds us. And God doesn’t have us until we first come to Him. As a new Believer, I thought it was all on me. That I finally came to my senses regarding my need for God and so I
exercised my will and deliberately prayed to invite Him into my life to save me. At the time I didn’t understand the active role God played in my coming to Him. Because of passages like these (among others), I do understand it now and I am so glad that He saved me!
 
In Christ our living hope,

We have been looking for the past couple of months at the theme of discipleship. Remember that our church mission statement is that we exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In October I proposed the idea that discipleship is risky business. Of course, it is a risk-reward situation, and the rewards far outweigh the risks, but it is risky nonetheless. Last month we explored the key feature of being a disciple, that we are becoming like Jesus. This month, I’d like to take a ‘deeper dive’ on what it means to be a disciple-maker.
The following list includes some of the characteristics of a person who is a disciple-maker.
The disciple-maker is a servant.
Jesus came to serve, not be served. Among other things, He was a foot washer, a truth-teller, a time-giver (expended His discretionary time on others rather than on Himself). So, a disciple-maker willingly gives of themselves for the benefit and building up of others, even if they have to give up personal recreational     activities to do so.
The disciple-maker is growing spiritually.
The d-m’s walk with God is increasing. Their relationship with Jesus is not in the past tense, it’s a present reality that is vibrant and evident to others.
The disciple-maker is spiritually mature.
Not to be confused with sinlessly perfect. The d-m has come to the place in her/his life that they react to the unexpected with biblical wisdom and biblical faith. They have an understanding of deeper truths from the Bible. Their faith is not shaken by tough questions; indeed, they know how to find the answers to tough questions. And their life is able to withstand the storms that come because it is founded on the rock of    obedience to Christ.
The disciple-maker handles the Bible accurately.
She/he is a student of the Scriptures. The Bible is a vital part of their behavior and conversation. They read it, they study it, they hide it in their hearts. They understand the difference between essentials and distinctives. And they don’t argue or quibble over non-essential doctrines.
The disciple-maker is teachable.
They are open to God’s direction and redirection, His training and His discipline. They understand that they have something to offer to every person they meet, and that God has something to teach them from every person they meet.
The disciple-maker is a faithful witness for Christ.
The Great Commission as given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 is that we make disciples of every nation. In Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:15, Jesus told us to be His witnesses and preach the gospel to all creation. The d-m recognizes the importance of always being ready to share this good news with everyone. They also recognize the importance of serving those who respond to the gospel by nurturing their new-found faith.
 
This is not an exhaustive list. And, these character traits don’t line up in any particular order of priority. Every one of them is an absolute must if a person is to be effective in making disciples. Of course, also a disciple-maker is himself/herself a faithful growing disciple of Jesus. Make it your aim this month to fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit in His work of conforming you to the image of Jesus.
 
May your December be filled with the joy of the Lord as we celebrate His first advent and look forward to His second!
In Christ our living hope,
                  Pastor Bill