"Galatians Pt 6" Jan 22nd

You who are spiritual.

It’s a loaded phrase. Do you consider yourself to be spiritual? Does that make you conceited? Or confident?

And what does scripture say the spiritual do? Fast, pray, read, or some other spectacular feat that we accomplish on God’s behalf?

No! The answer is spiritual people restore people. We watch for those overcome in a trespass and, in a spirit of gentleness, we help them.

The verse ends with, “lest you also be overtaken with that, or some other, sin.”

Pure religion is this—visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and keep oneself unspotted from the world. In that order.

The people who passed the man who was beaten and left on the road were most definitely keeping themselves unspotted, but were nowhere on the scale of helping those in need. The Samaritan recognized the humanity of the man and helped him.

If we keep our priorities, we will be covered by and in the Spirit to fulfill the other.

You can’t do anything to make your own salvation any more secure. But there are many who need to see forgiveness for what it is.

Be that person,

Pastor Brent

"Galatians Pt5" Jan 15th

Gal 5:1 NIV It was for freedom that Christ has set you free.

And we are indeed free. But it is how we handle freedom that shows us who we really are.

Say, the speed limit is 55, how fast do you go? What if it’s 65, or 70, 75? You can hit all these speed limits as you drive through eastern Oregon and Washington into Idaho, and Montana.

But the question is, is anything enough? Are you qualified to drive over 90?

In Germany they have the autobahn. It is a stretch of the freeway that has no speed limit. But Germany ranks in the lower half of traffic deaths in Europe.

Surely more people would die if there were no speed limits here! Probably. But what if people knew they had to look out for others as well as themselves? In Germany it is known there is no speed limit and people have grown up learning about that responsibility.

We are a very selfish nation. And, if we are not careful we could become very selfish Christians, using our freedoms for the wrong things.

So, yes, we are set free. Now monitor, truthfully, what you do with your freedoms and see if you don’t need to go back to the basics to see what our freedoms are for.

Pastor Brent

"Galatians Pt4" Pastor Brent...Jan 8th

Galatians


Do you feel like a child, mature human being, or crotchety old person? Maybe there’s a fourth option?

We just witnessed the passing of Queen Elizabeth of England a few months back, and as I read these verses in Galatians 4 I can’t help but notice the parallels between her and what Paul is trying to convey.

When she was little she was raised and nurtured not unlike all babies were raised, albeit in a totally different atmosphere. But she didn’t know anything about what was to be expected of her.

We, as Christians, are the same. We get saved and are being taught what to do when we become mature Christians, but don’t know the first thing about following Christ.

But we learn. And if we will learn, then we will be taught how to behave as a child of the King.

But, most do not. They think the fire escape is all they need when glory lies just ahead of them. We abdicate our throne before we ever get the opportunity to know there is one for us to sit on.

We were raised for so much more than this (this being life on this earth), but if we don’t continue on in pursuit of God and His will, this is all that we will receive. Jesus says many times, “They have their reward.” But I want my reward to be His reward, because He sees so much more clearly.

Pastor Brent

"2023" Pastor Brent ...Jan 1st

2023 !!!

Well, here we are another year older and deeper in debt. Even if you personally are doing better in your finances our government spent about 6 trillion dollars to pay for ….. who knows what?

But, how about spiritually? Are you deeper in debt with promises you can’t keep, or have failed to keep? Do you feel like God is about ready to foreclose on His investment in you?

This year is a time to be bold, not reckless, but bold. We are on track to be the most diligent, most humble, most gentle, and kindest person we have ever been. But, it will take some resolve on our part.

Jesus has already done the hard work; fulfilling the demands of God and setting us free to do the things necessary to be an acceptable vessel in the house of the Lord.

And if we will be willing He will make us that vessel. Are you willing? Even if you are not willing, will you be able to say, “Lord I am willing to be made willing.”

Make 2023 the year that the testimony you have is one of glorious praise to Jesus our Lord and the Father God who gives us all things pertaining to godliness.

Wherever you are in your walk this morning, walk out of here with a different mindset and resolve to not fall for the same traps, walk in weakness to things we have been delivered from, and to stand in the face of opposition or temptation.

God is on your side mightily in 2023; let’s be on His side as well.

Pastor Brent

Merry Christmas! Dec 25th

Wish all of you the best of days and a prosperous week entering into the New Year.

Last week I said the theme for this year is “Challenge Accepted!”

We have been on hold or on cruise control for too long. It’s time to jump back into the fray.

We will need everyone to declare to those forces surrounding you that the fight is on and no longer will we be accepting anything not from God.

We are his sons and daughters, and as such, we rule and reign with Him.

So, we need to rise up and act like it. From our speech, to our actions, to our plans for the future, God is, and ever more will be on the throne and directing everything around us.

Dive into the New Year with a renewed mind and a rejuvenated soul and spirit.

See you next year,

Pastor Brent

"Galatians Pt3" Dec 18th

Where does righteousness come from? Is it intrinsically inside of you and comes out when you are squeezed hard enough?

Is it something you can obtain by training and trying hard and then you think entirely differently than you have your whole life?

No, to both of those lines of thought. Paul sums it up expressly in the last part of Galatians chapter 2. Don’t frustrate the grace of God by thinking righteousness came by any other way than the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (2:21).

Now you can begin your journey to complete your righteousness by not getting in God’s way . You are simply allowing the life of Christ to rule and reign in your body.

Speaking of that, how about an end of the year check-up on how you are doing? How is your behavior? Does it match up with your church behavior? How is your speech? Does it match up with your Sunday speech? How are the traits that most gave you trouble at the beginning of the year? Are they getting better or have you not allowed Jesus to rule and reign completely?

I think we should call the year 2023 “Challenge Accepted!”

There are things I want to be different in my life. How about you? Bring it on 2023, I have a big Savior and He wants to see me through. “Challenge Accepted.”

Pastor Brent

“Galatians Pt2” Nov 27th

Paul checked his own facts and his own heart 14 years into his preaching ministry.

He went again to Jerusalem to tell the apostles what he had been led to preach. Instead of simply saying he had a revelation from God and that he was doing the right thing, he privately met with them and explained his leading.

We might dismiss this as, “Of course, you would want to check with the apostles.” But do we? Obliviously, we can’t check with the apostles in person, but we can go to people of the faith who are older and that we trust will tell us the truth—not what we necessarily want to hear, but the truth.

There is much to be on guard concerning the gospel. Most of all the freedom that is in Christ and the people who want to take that away.

We have a gift in the form of an amazing Gospel written to us as Word, but delivered to us in power. But we must handle it wisely. We must, as a church, celebrate the freedom in Christ while holding ourselves in check against the works of the evil one in this world.

Respectfully,

Pastor Brent

"Galatians" Nov 20th

We are in a time where the world is trying to define what a Christian should be, what the church should or should not be and embrace and if not then it (the church) should be shut down or shouted down.

Paul’s writings to the Galatians are on a similar trend, but, he is writing to the Jewish people who are trying to drag in the old way of worship and serving God into the new.

People are infiltrating the church now to bring, not the freedom Christ gave through belief in the Son of God, but by going back to the beliefs of the law.

Now, today, we have non-Christians, or supposed Christians, telling us the Bible has it wrong. We are supposed to evolve with the changing times and not be so archaic in our beliefs of the written Word of God.

So, there’s a choice to be made. Do we listen to people stuck in the darkness trying to tell us what light looks like, or do we live in the light until they receive the miracle of the touch of God?

For myself, and my family, we will continue to trust that God knows best, not only for me, but for the world and all of humanity. Even if it messes with people’s fun and the unwholesome, depraved ideas that are coming out as “normal.”

God has been at this longer than any philosopher, let Him guide your thoughts through His Word.

Respectfully,

Pastor Brent

"Expectations Pt5" Nov 6th

It’s not a grave—it’s just a place to spend the night.

It’s a verse in a song that depicts what we, as Christians, should know.

This world was not made for us. It is what we have turned it into. This was not the world that God made and said, “It is good.”

This is rather the cursed world that it became when Adam and Eve and the eventual millions of people refused to follow God. It is the world you and I made before we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So, spending too much time fretting about what this world is up to, or what the next trend will be, is really an exercise in futility.

The lottery drawing last night was 1.5 billion dollars. Many people were counting on that and had made all their plans concerning what they would do and who would share in their blessing. I would dare say that all but one, if even one, are going to be solidly disappointed this morning.

But our promise of eternal life is 100% guaranteed by Christ, who never lies or makes empty and impossible promises.

Lord, make my expectation yours. Lord, make your expectations mine. Cause me to invest in things that will bring a real return, like reading your Word, talking with you, and helping those around me.

May it be so,

Pastor Brent