The Blessed Life #16: Life Lines

The New Testament (NT) Church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). 

One of my favorite game shows is Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The trivia is fun (even though I don’t know 90% of the answers). It is interesting to consider the possibilities of what could be. And I love the life lines given to help with the difficult questions.

Life lines are not only available in game shows. God has blessed His faithful followers of Jesus Christ with life lines in real life. Therefore, this past month, we began something that the NT Church took advantage of to utilize the life lines mentioned in Acts 2:42ff, namely Life Groups. Life groups are basically small groups of people focused on doing the one thing that matters, life. 

Do you ever question what you are experiencing and how you are going to get through it? The reality is we all do. We might question how to deal with difficult people or struggles at work. We might question why certain things happen, and what our purpose is in life. The “apostles’ teaching” (aka Scripture) is the life line that gives us the answers to these questions and many others. Yet sometimes it can be challenging to comprehend exactly what God is telling us, which is why the NT Church studied Scripture together in small groups. Diana Bax, a life group member said, “I feel as if the study has given me a new under-standing of a purpose driven life: Why are we here? What plans does God have for my life? How can I serve others through my experiences (be it good or bad)? I feel more connected to the Bible study. Questions are being answered through group involvement. And it has been very eye opening to say the least.”  

The second life line that the NT Church took advantage of was fellowship. Samantha Miller was skeptical at first about life groups, “It’s not what I thought it would be...The camaraderie is fantastic.” Life Groups can be a lot of fun! Beyond that we all need encouragement from time to time. And this is where real, life-enriching relationships can form and develop. I have personally witnessed life group members being with others as they mourned the loss of a child, yet their biological family members were nowhere to be found. Life group member Alan McNeely said, “I am always encouraged when meeting with other brothers and sisters in Christ.” Again it is about helping you to do the one thing that matters, life.

A third life line that the NT Church took advantage of was helping others to jump the problems that came their way. This can take place by praying for one another that God would remove the struggle. And it can happen by personally being the answer to someone’s prayer. Life group member Cynthia Bible mentioned her group taking care of some of the hurting in our area just like the NT Church did.

Thus, I encourage you to take advantage of the life lines that are available to you here at ECC. Diana said, “I would encourage everyone to try it for a month and see what they can take from it.” God bless!

In His service,

            Matt

The Spiritual Reality #9: The Devil Made Me Do It

 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

Misconceptions abound about the Devil. Cartoons typically depict the Devil as a funny, small, red, horned being with a pointed tail and a pitchfork. Some think that he is only a myth. Others believe that he is not active in our present world, while still others blame him for everything bad that happens. So what are the facts about the Devil?

First, who is the Devil and where did he come from? Originally, he was known as Lucifer, an angel of light (Isa. 14:12 NKJV). According to Scripture, Lucifer was a glorious being, superior to the other angels and perfect in all his ways (Ezek. 28:14-15). Yet early on, Lucifer decided that being superior to the other angels wasn’t good enough, so he decided to rebel against God (Isa. 14:12-13). Even though Lucifer did not prevail, God allowed him to remain in His presence for a period of time. However, Jesus stated after the 70 missionaries whom He had sent out returned “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

Second, what does the Devil do? His actions are best explained by considering the various names he is given in the Bible. He is called “a great red dragon” (Rev. 12:3). This title comes from passages which picture the Devil as a great monster seeking to devour anyone in his path. The color red symbolizes the warfare that he seeks to wage against Jesus and His faithful followers (Zech. 6:2; Rev. 6:4). This title also points to how he will use non-believing nations to seek to oppress God’s people (Isa. 27:1; 51:9-10).

The imagery of the Dragon in Revelation 12:3-4 suggests that he is all powerful and that there is nothing that we as faithful believers can do about it. However, this is far from the case! Jesus promises that at our enemy at his strongest cannot prevail against us (Matt. 16:18).

A second title that he is given is “The Serpent,” which, as you’ll recall, first appears in the Garden of Eden seeking to deceive Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. From this point on his deceptive nature is very evident as Jesus pointed out, he is called “the father of lies” (John 8:44). It is very important to note that the Serpent’s deception is often times very similar to the truth; he seeks to either twist it ever so slightly; like what he did when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:10). Or he will seek to bring doubt to our minds about God’s Word, like he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden (Gen. 3:1).

Thankfully, by knowing the Serpent’s intent, we should be motivated to know the truth, for the truth will set us free (John 8:32). This is how Jesus overcame the Serpent’s testing of Him in the wilderness; He used Scripture in context and the Devil was no contest (Matt. 4:10-11).

The third and fourth titles that appear in Revelation 12:9 are the Devil and Satan. Both of these titles look at how he seeks to bring charges against us and accuse us before God. This was his tactic with a man named Job of the Old Testament (Job 1:9-11). Thankfully though, God’s Word promises us, as faithful followers, that no one can bring a sustainable charge against us because it is God who justifies us on account of Jesus (Rom. 8:33-34).

From these titles we can learn that Satan is not some funny cartoon character. He is a monster who is looking to devour us as believers, yet masquerades himself as an angel of light. Thankfully though, his days are numbered. In fact, when Jesus came to earth some 2,000 years ago He did so “to destroy the Devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). By His death on the cross He destroyed the Devil’s power (Heb. 2:14).

If a person considers the amount of God’s followers prior to the cross with after, it is easy to see that the Devil’s power is limited; there are believers in virtually every country in the world now. The Devil’s defeat has already taken place. And when Jesus returns he will be banished to hell for eternity (Rev. 20:10). “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20). So until that day, we can overcome the Devil’s lies by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.

In His service,

     Matt 

Elder’s Corner: How Long Will You Last?

Twenty some years ago I built some shelves around the top of my machine shed.  I used 2 x 4's and bolted them to the metal trusses.  I needed extra storage for the kid's sports stuff (and I didn't want to take up floor space for it).  I started piling their bats, basketballs, batting cage net, etc. on the shelf.  Over the years I kept adding more stuff (metal rods, radial arm saw, trailer brakes, weed-eater, bed frame, scrap rags, hydraulic motors, etc.) A few years ago I noticed the shelf had started to sag. I added a brace post at the back.  Last month, I was working in the building when I heard a terrible crash.  You guessed it.  The shelf and all its contents came crashing down. 

That shelf reminded me that life can sometimes be like that. Maybe you have felt the weight increasing as added pressures like the loss of a job, a family member with a terminal illness, a problem at work, income shortfalls, divorce, getting older, family issues, health issues, loss of a close friend, or any other problems the world may heap on you. 

My observation is that the shelf held its load (problems) for many years until it finally gave way.  There is no doubt in my mind that if I had increased the number of support posts under it that it would have continued to be useful in carrying the load.  We need to look around and see who is suffering under the weight that life is placing on them and help support them.  When asked about the most important thing a person can do, (what is the great commandment?) Jesus summed it up this way: “LOVE GOD & LOVE OTHERS” Mt 22:36-39                  

Thanks for your support!                        

—Alan

The Blessed Life #15: Armor for the Battle

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

At times it can be numbing to consider innocent individuals being beheaded on a regular basis by terrorists who continue to run free. For many of us, it’s appalling to think of how a person could even carry out the acts that we see on TV. Our enemy will seek to do anything that they can to demoralize us as a nation. And unfortunately, our enemy is not someone whom we can simply seek to avoid. If we don’t fight the battle on their territory they will bring the battle to us on ours just like they did on September 11, 2001.

The point of this article is not to consider the politics of the war we are involved in. The point is to recognize that all of us are in a battle that demands our attention. Scripture teaches that Satan is at war with us as believers (Rev. 12:17).

For non-Christians, the enemy has blinded their minds so that they are unable to recognize that they are even in a battle (2 Cor. 4:4). Meanwhile, he steals our joy, peace, love, hope, purpose, and ultimately our eternity. And unfortunately, a few of these things, our enemy has even been known to steal from us as believers.

Therefore, this article is a call to arms, for God has blessed us with all the resources needed to overcome and thus live the full life that Jesus promises in John 10:10. Thus, I encourage you to put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20).

When one carefully considers the armor of God, they realize that it is all about putting on Christ. Jesus is our belt of truth (John 14:6). Let His truth support you.

Jesus is our breastplate of righteousness (Rom. 13:14). No one is righteous by themselves. We all sin and fall short of God’s perfect standard. Yet as believers, we receive Jesus’ perfect righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, let His righteousness protect you.

Jesus guides our feet in peace (Luke 1:79). His peace keeps us calm and guides us through the middle of our storms. Let His peace equip you for the journey of life He has you on.

Jesus is our shield of faith (Heb. 12:2). The enemy may throw all sorts of arrows to take us out of the battle. Yet Jesus remains faithful to us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. So let His faithfulness protect you when the enemy attacks.

Jesus is the helmet of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He began the work of our salvation and He will complete it (Heb. 12:2). Let His salvation reform you.

And Jesus is our sword of the Spirit as the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Our enemy will seek to attack us, but we can overcome him with the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). So let His Word defend you. When we put on the full armor of God, we are able to enjoy the blessed life of joy, peace, love, hope, purpose, and ultimately eternal life.

In His service,

            Matt