We are at the beginning of summer 2014. That means we'll have the same weather forecast for the next three months. It goes like this: Low of 75 degrees, high of 90-95 with 95 percent humidity. Strong chance of thundershowers in the afternoon.
With all the rain comes a much more lush lawn. We normally don't have to water during the summer, just the opposite of those in the North. Floridians also do their outside work and workouts during the morning and evening as much as possible. Can I say "nesting indoors?!"
For our church, we meet together on Sundays, and usually it's the Myres and the Blikstads in worship. We enjoy each others' fellowship, and want to truly be a church. If you read this, and would like to join us, you are welcome. We meet on Sundays at 9:30 A.M. at our home.
The message for June 22nd is about "inconvenience." We as Americans do not like to be inconvenienced. Who can honestly say we like waiting in line? If you go to the store to buy something or order it online, who wants the store to be out of the product we need, or for the online company to have it on back order? When it comes to food, we want ours FAST. No waiting, and no mistakes. Get it right the first time or I'll put up a fuss.
We live in a fallen world that is full of mistakes, and we've committed our own share of them. All one has to do is examine our lives in comparison to God's standards, and we see that we've bungled our orders and our own lives, to say nothing about how we throw wrenches into the lives of others.
Our Righteous God saw the way mankind messed it all up, and provided a way for us to be bought and brought back to Himself. He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, into the world to bear the reproach and rejection of men. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for man's sin. For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down on the right hand of the throne of God. He suffered hostility from sinners against Himself, and all that we might be His own once again (Hebrews 12:2-3).
One of the messages of the cross is that God suffered the ultimate inconvenience for us--that is giving His Son for us--that we might be saved.
Does that give a little different perspective to the inconveniences we face in life? Remember, Jesus came to the earth as a servant. He suffered without opening His mouth in complaint. We are His servants, and will be treated as servants by others at times. What will our attitude be when that happens?
May the living, victorious Lord Jesus Christ live His life out through us in these days, and may that cause us to reflect His character to others.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Proofs of the Resurrection
"Prove it!" are the words someone might use when they don't believe something you've said or written. Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If someone asked us to prove it, what might we say to them? There are numerous proofs of the resurrection found in the Scriptures. Here are a four of them.
1) The Empty Tomb. Because the Jewish religious leaders were concerned that the disciples might try to steal the body of Jesus in order to make it look like He had risen from the dead they asked Pilate to put a guard on the tomb. So, it is recorded in Matthew 27 "Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone." That means the stone was sealed, and any tampering with the stone would be known right away. The stone was not moved, and the women who came early on that Sunday morning wondered how they might roll the stone away.
Instead, the stone was rolled away by the angel in order to show that the Lord Jesus had been raised from the dead. It was a proof that no one had stolen the body, but that Jesus had truly risen.
2) The Appearances of Jesus. In a court of law an eye-witness account is the strongest of all testimonies. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul is talking about the importance of the Gospel, and then gives a list of people who saw Jesus alive after His resurrection. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also." That is quite a list of people, and the greatest number there is "more than 500 at one time." If one or two people said they saw Jesus alive, then it might have been passed off as a hallucination, but 500? If 500 people could come forward and testify that Jesus way alive, that would be quite a convincing argument.
At the end of this section, Paul himself gives testimony to seeing Jesus alive, and He was not hallucinating.
3) The Witness and Conviction of the Apostles. Jesus told his disciples that they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8), and that's what they did. You hear Peter and the other disciples echoing those words later in their sermons in the book of Acts. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, then these men would have known that, and would have had to be in collusion together to promote that lie. Would someone give their life for something they knew was a lie? I don't think so. Besides, when Jesus is crucified, these men are not the confident and bold men of God that are seen in the book of Acts. They are confused and scared men left without their leader. They would hardly be candidates for proclaiming this lie. Instead, the only explanation is that what they proclaimed really happened, and the person and power of the Holy Spirit came upon them to testify to the resurrection of their Savior and Lord.
4) The Witness of the Christian Church. The Church of Jesus Christ is a living testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. It is the ongoing witness to how Jesus "purchased for God with (His) blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." If Jesus were not raised from the dead, then the purpose, stability, and meaning of the Church would be lost, and it would not hold together. Instead, the Risen Christ stands as the leader of the Church, working through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Men and women for over 20 centuries have had their lives transformed by the message of hope, salvation, and reconciliation that comes from the Word of God, and specifically the Gospel. My life, and the lives of those in my family have been changed by the power of the Gospel! Praise God!
How about you? Are you rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus today? Don't stay on the fence. Understand that Jesus is truly alive again, and that He lives and reigns today as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!! --Easter 2013
1) The Empty Tomb. Because the Jewish religious leaders were concerned that the disciples might try to steal the body of Jesus in order to make it look like He had risen from the dead they asked Pilate to put a guard on the tomb. So, it is recorded in Matthew 27 "Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone." That means the stone was sealed, and any tampering with the stone would be known right away. The stone was not moved, and the women who came early on that Sunday morning wondered how they might roll the stone away.
Instead, the stone was rolled away by the angel in order to show that the Lord Jesus had been raised from the dead. It was a proof that no one had stolen the body, but that Jesus had truly risen.
2) The Appearances of Jesus. In a court of law an eye-witness account is the strongest of all testimonies. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul is talking about the importance of the Gospel, and then gives a list of people who saw Jesus alive after His resurrection. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also." That is quite a list of people, and the greatest number there is "more than 500 at one time." If one or two people said they saw Jesus alive, then it might have been passed off as a hallucination, but 500? If 500 people could come forward and testify that Jesus way alive, that would be quite a convincing argument.
At the end of this section, Paul himself gives testimony to seeing Jesus alive, and He was not hallucinating.
3) The Witness and Conviction of the Apostles. Jesus told his disciples that they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8), and that's what they did. You hear Peter and the other disciples echoing those words later in their sermons in the book of Acts. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, then these men would have known that, and would have had to be in collusion together to promote that lie. Would someone give their life for something they knew was a lie? I don't think so. Besides, when Jesus is crucified, these men are not the confident and bold men of God that are seen in the book of Acts. They are confused and scared men left without their leader. They would hardly be candidates for proclaiming this lie. Instead, the only explanation is that what they proclaimed really happened, and the person and power of the Holy Spirit came upon them to testify to the resurrection of their Savior and Lord.
4) The Witness of the Christian Church. The Church of Jesus Christ is a living testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. It is the ongoing witness to how Jesus "purchased for God with (His) blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." If Jesus were not raised from the dead, then the purpose, stability, and meaning of the Church would be lost, and it would not hold together. Instead, the Risen Christ stands as the leader of the Church, working through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Men and women for over 20 centuries have had their lives transformed by the message of hope, salvation, and reconciliation that comes from the Word of God, and specifically the Gospel. My life, and the lives of those in my family have been changed by the power of the Gospel! Praise God!
How about you? Are you rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus today? Don't stay on the fence. Understand that Jesus is truly alive again, and that He lives and reigns today as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!! --Easter 2013
Sunday, August 14, 2011
God is Good
We are enjoying fellowship with God and with one another. Such a blessing to have Judy Myre with us more often. She has retired from her caregiver position, and is able to come more Sundays. It is unfortunate that she retired because of her health issues, but we are glad she is with us. This Sunday, we were also blessed to have Jim and Judy's great-grandson, Dylan, with us for church again.
Besides this, we continue to appreciate Caleb's accompaniment for our worship songs. Thanks, Caleb, for your labor of love on our behalf.
Lastly, the youngest five Blikstads have been blessing us with songs they learned during VBS a few weeks ago. Each of the past three Sundays they have sung for our offertory. Today, they sang the "Trinity Song," even adding a verse while singing in a round. It was great!
Besides this, we continue to appreciate Caleb's accompaniment for our worship songs. Thanks, Caleb, for your labor of love on our behalf.
Lastly, the youngest five Blikstads have been blessing us with songs they learned during VBS a few weeks ago. Each of the past three Sundays they have sung for our offertory. Today, they sang the "Trinity Song," even adding a verse while singing in a round. It was great!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thank You for the Care Given to Art Wray
I was blessed last weekend by the outpouring of support and care given to Art Wray. We mourn with him at the loss of his wife, Patti. Numerous people at Tamiami Village and RV Park were a part of the service we had for her on Sunday. The amount of people that came to honor Patti and show support for Art was tremendous. Etta Thomas played the piano and Cynthia Schroeder sang. Several ladies provided refreshments for a time of fellowship after the service. Plenty of others set up and broke down Patriot Hall for the memorial service. What a blessing all of these people were to Art and to me personally. Thank you for your love shown on Sunday. God bless you for it!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Advent Season 2010--The Lord's Coming
I love the Advent season. It is a time of anticipation. Just as our little children anticipate opening their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, we look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. Yes, He has come, that is historical fact. But there are two other realities at play during this season. We also anticipate His Second Coming. We believe His coming could be at any time, and so we want to be ready and looking for His coming. The signs are all around us. For the first time in many years, this has been the focus of our Sunday messages during Advent.
The third reality is this: We sing in the Christmas Carol, "Joy to the world, the Lord IS come. He truly is come to all of those who have received Him as Savior. This God who took on human flesh 2000 years ago, and who will return for His own one day, also comes to live in the hearts of those who trust Him for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. There is no other way to God the Father except through His Son, Jesus Christ. God bless you as you experience the reality that "the Lord is come" in your own life!
A Blessed Christmas to you!
The third reality is this: We sing in the Christmas Carol, "Joy to the world, the Lord IS come. He truly is come to all of those who have received Him as Savior. This God who took on human flesh 2000 years ago, and who will return for His own one day, also comes to live in the hearts of those who trust Him for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. There is no other way to God the Father except through His Son, Jesus Christ. God bless you as you experience the reality that "the Lord is come" in your own life!
A Blessed Christmas to you!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The House of God
The title of my blog is "The House of God" because we are experiencing that reality with our church meeting in our home. The Apostle Paul stated the same in I Timothy 3:15, "...I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." The church of God is described as a house, similar to the foundation of the family that God designed in the Old Testament. In his epistles, Paul sends greetings to churches that meet in homes. For example, in Romans 16:5, he says, "Likewise greet the church that is in their (Priscilla and Aquila's) house."
We've been meeting at our home for church for some time. You may know that we minister at Tamiami RV Park from November through just after Easter. During the rest of the year we meet in our family room for worship. Our church started in 1998, and met at Gulf Coast Village for six years. In the Spring of 2004, we began this chapter of our spiritual pilgrimage and moved our services into our home. It's been a smaller group since that time. We've had families come for a time and then stop. We've had one couple come for awhile and then move away. Each time there is encouragement in new people, but at the same time, there is strength in the ones we have come consistently. For now, that's been my own family and Jim and Judy Myre. I have great appreciated their faithfulness to our ministry. They came to Living Faith while we were there, and followed us to Word of Life. That's been about 17 years! Thank the Lord for their loyalty!
So, if you are reading this blog, I invite you to join us. We are really a "house" of God. We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 A.M. for about an hour and a half. We listen to preaching (that's me seeking to expound God's Word), respond to it with testimonies, sing hymns together (and I mean hymns), worship the Lord by giving our tithes and offerings, and pray together. We're small, and not perfect, but desire to be a living illustration of God's household in this day. You are welcome! We'd love to have you.
We've been meeting at our home for church for some time. You may know that we minister at Tamiami RV Park from November through just after Easter. During the rest of the year we meet in our family room for worship. Our church started in 1998, and met at Gulf Coast Village for six years. In the Spring of 2004, we began this chapter of our spiritual pilgrimage and moved our services into our home. It's been a smaller group since that time. We've had families come for a time and then stop. We've had one couple come for awhile and then move away. Each time there is encouragement in new people, but at the same time, there is strength in the ones we have come consistently. For now, that's been my own family and Jim and Judy Myre. I have great appreciated their faithfulness to our ministry. They came to Living Faith while we were there, and followed us to Word of Life. That's been about 17 years! Thank the Lord for their loyalty!
So, if you are reading this blog, I invite you to join us. We are really a "house" of God. We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 A.M. for about an hour and a half. We listen to preaching (that's me seeking to expound God's Word), respond to it with testimonies, sing hymns together (and I mean hymns), worship the Lord by giving our tithes and offerings, and pray together. We're small, and not perfect, but desire to be a living illustration of God's household in this day. You are welcome! We'd love to have you.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Tamiami Fellowship is in full swing again
If you've found this blog, we're thankful. "Season" is upon us again. No, I'm not referring to Christmas season. That has come and gone. No, the season is "snowbird season." Each "season" here in Florida, we are blessed with part-time residents who travel down here to escape the cold up north. It is encouraging to be a part of the fellowship at Tamiami RV Park. The people there hail from all over the upper Midwest and East, including several from Canada. Just last week at church we took a survey of those who are from other states and provinces. Now that January has come, the park will be full, and we trust the attendance at church will reflect that.
We hope that you are encouraged in your faith as you worship with us. We love coming to Tamiami as a family. We have many friends, and love the attention our children receive from surrogate uncles and aunts and grandparents.
As you continue on your pilgrimage toward the celestial city (reference Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan), we hope that the preaching, worship, and fellowship we share is meaningful to you.
God bless you as you follow Him in 2010!
We hope that you are encouraged in your faith as you worship with us. We love coming to Tamiami as a family. We have many friends, and love the attention our children receive from surrogate uncles and aunts and grandparents.
As you continue on your pilgrimage toward the celestial city (reference Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan), we hope that the preaching, worship, and fellowship we share is meaningful to you.
God bless you as you follow Him in 2010!
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