The Blessed Life #13: A Firm Foundation

“For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen, honored, precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him shall never be disappointed or put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6 AMP).

This past month, a few individuals from Eugene Christian Church decided to do a little renovating in our church’s nursery. If you have ever done any renovating or remodeling then you probably know that things are virtually never as easy as you’d like, especially with older buildings. That was definitely the case here.

We decided to repaint our nursery and redo the beautiful hardwood floors that had been covered by carpet for several years. Unfortunately, there had been a roof leak in the one corner. But we thought, ah, no big deal we’ll just replace a few pieces of wood flooring and be done with it. Boy were we ever wrong! 

When the flooring was taken up, beyond the water damage, an old termite problem was discovered. Even though the termites have long since vacated the building, their damage was done. Before long, we discovered that both the outer floor joist support (aka bond joist) and a support beam in the basement had been seriously comprised by termite and water damage. We praise the Lord that we were able to catch the damage before anything further took place. Furthermore, we are thankful that the foundation is still solid.

This brings up an interesting question: how is the foundation of your life? A lot of people in our society tend to build their foundation upon their careers or finances, only to end up having their jobs outsourced or eliminated, or to lose their finances do to some unforeseen circumstance. Likewise, a lot of people tend to build their foundation on family or friends, only to have relational let downs. We could talk about several other things that people tend to build the foundation of their lives upon, only to end being disappointed.

However, for us as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, the foundation of our lives will never be washed away. We have chosen to build our lives upon the Rock, Jesus Christ (Matt. 7:24). So then when the storms of life come, we will be able to still stand our ground (Matt. 7:25).

If you would like to learn how you can have a life that remains strong regardless of what is happening in your life, I encourage you to join us on Sunday mornings 9:30-11:30 as we learn to build our lives upon the firm foundation of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19-22). God bless!

In His service,

            Matt 

Elder’s Corner: Bitter Sweet

Some things are just bitter/sweet; the passing of a loved one for example; your loss, their life in heaven... or hell. Everything we do can be looked on with different perspectives.

This will be my last elder’s corner because I am moving out of this area. Some of you will be sad and some will be ecstatic.

We post pictures of work being done in the newsletter and online. Some folks look on it as calling attention to ourselves, when in reality we hope to encourage you by helping you realize that the little things you do matter. It’s the whole idea of monkey see, money do.

This is my final note to all of you and it is my wish to encourage you to show God’s love in every part of your life. I am trying to move junk. It has monetary value, but no eternal value. Make sure that the things that consume your life are actually important. Jesus told the Pharisees that the one who has not sinned should throw the first stone (John 8:7). Our motivation needs to bring about healing, not condemnation.

—Tim

The Spiritual Reality #7: God’s Special Messengers

What message do you need to hear from God today? Could you be going through one of life’s hardships—family, work, finances, etc.?  Are you in need of encouragement to stand strong in your faith? Whatever it maybe, God has a message for you today.

Occasionally in Scripture we find these messages being delivered by angels. And even though there are countless angels, there are only two angels who are specifically listed by name in Scripture who are known to deliver messages to those in need: Gabriel and Michael the archangel.

Gabriel plays a very unique role in Scripture. He appears four times, and each time he has a powerful message to proclaim. Three of the four times he proclaims Jesus’ birth. On account of this, he is sometimes referred to as “God’s preaching angel” and “God’s Christmas angel.”

In the first appearance, Gabriel gives Daniel the prophet understanding into a vision that God had given (Dan. 8:16ff). This vision was of two separate kingdoms: the combined kingdom of Medio-Persia and Greece; and how these kingdoms would persecute God’s people prior to Jesus first coming, as the Son of God.

History validates Daniel’s prophesies leading up to the birth of Christ, which, by the way points to the reliability of the Bible. And it points to how we, as believers, can know that even when we go through rough times, God’s promises will come true. God is in control!

Therefore, as Jesus stated in John 16:33, we will go through times of trial, but we can take heart because Jesus has overcome this world. I encourage you to write this verse on your mirror or memorize it. Then when you do go through rough times, you can look up and know that the Lord is coming soon, and He will right every wrong that has taken place. That is exactly what Gabriel preached in his second appearance to Daniel (Dan. 9:20-27).

His second message delivers how Jesus would save the world from sin. “There could be no better statement of the redeeming work of Christ. He died not for Himself but for (us), and in doing so provided forgiveness for (our) sins and eternal righteousness before God” (Ellsworth, What the Bible Teaches About Angels, p.55).

The third and fourth appearances of Gabriel are in reference to two miraculous births: John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25), and Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38). For John the Baptist’s parents, parenthood seemed to be impossible. Elizabeth was barren and both were past the point of being able to conceive a child.

Similarly, when Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to be a mother, it would come through impossible means: as a virgin. Yet nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). These passages give us all encouragement that, if God calls you to it, He’ll see you through it!

The second angel mentioned in Scripture, Michael the archangel appears five times, and likewise has some very helpful messages for us. He is the only angel referred to as “the archangel” (Jude 9). This likely infers that he is superior to the other angels.

Michael’s messages first, pertain to his great responsibility in the war with Satan. Second, his actions seek to protect us as faithful followers and help us to overcome our enemy the devil (Rev. 12:7-12).

Daniel needed comfort from his distress over the conflict that God’s people would experience so he called out to God. 21 days later, Michael appeared and (Dan. 10:13) reassured him that God heard his cries for help and sent Michael to comfort him. Notice that it took 21 days before Michael appeared. This indicates the reality of the spiritual battle is all around us. Satan is extremely strong, resisting Michael the archangel’s attempts to respond. Yet Satan could not stop God’s loving hand of comfort from reaching His faithful follower, Daniel.

Likewise, as we go through very challenging times, we might wonder where the Lord is at. He is right here with us, using the delay of His response to help us (1) recognize the reality of the spiritual battle, (2) participate in His great plan of salvation, and (3) increase our desire for the Lord.

The second role that Michael the archangel fulfills pertains to Jesus’ return (1 Thess. 4:19). Michael will be accompanying Jesus as He descends to earth, gathers His followers (the rapture) and overcomes His enemies. This great act will end the war between God and Satan that began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. Why would Michael need to accompany Jesus since He is all-powerful and perfectly capable of defeating His enemies by Himself? It seems to be a reward given to Michael for all of his efforts and battles with the enemy. The victory is won. We as believers win!

  Thus, when we consider the proclamations of God’s special messengers we are left with a sense of hope knowing that God is in control regardless of our circumstances, He will right any wrong that takes place and nothing is impossible with God. If He calls you to it, He’ll see you through it! And as the old saying goes, “I read the end of the book, and we win.” We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Rom. 8:37).

Because of God’s love,

     Matt