His Holy Name

Week of November 11, 2022

“My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21, NKJV)

The 145th Psalm ends in the same manner that it began, with a call to bless the holy name of the Lord forever. It is a shame to hear so many people use the name of Jesus Christ in a thoughtless manner that is not holy or a blessing to anyone. I am sure you have overheard someone carelessly using the name of Jesus as if it was nothing different than saying, Santa Claus. I have often wondered why people, especially those who have not ever placed their belief in Jesus, would choose to speak this particular name over any other figure that represents a religious belief system. The answer is simple though; there is power only in the name of Jesus. The atheists, agnostics, and anti-Christian groups can try all they might, but the name of Jesus is not going anywhere. Even the non-believer has His holy name on his lips and equally will have no excuse on the day of judgment if they have rejected him. While it is sad that so many use the name of the Lord in vain, it is also a testimony of how His name continues to live on and spread around the world 2,000 years later. With the popularity of the name comes the opportunity for the individual to explore who Jesus was and is today and ultimately what He has planned for the future. When we hear someone carelessly use the name of Jesus, it gives us an opportunity to witness to that person and share with them the real power that is in the name of Jesus. So let us all keep our ears open and be ready to have a personal gospel conversation with someone that needs to know the real Jesus.

God Bless, Pastor Rick

Something Bigger Than Ourselves

Week of November 4, 2022

Moreover He said “I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6 NKJV)

God speaks to us often in the context of what He has done in the lives of those who have gone before us.  God did not give Moses an assignment independent of what He has done through those who had preceded Him.  God made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob hundreds of years earlier, and He was going to involve Moses in His ongoing activity.

The God who led Moses worked through prophets and directed the apostle Paul is the same God who approaches you today to become involved in His work.  Do you sense the significance of that?  You are a vital part of something much bigger than yourself.

We are guilty sometimes of only thinking in the present.  We expect that anything God does through us will be completed while we can see the results.  We become impatient if God intends to complete what He began in us through another person or even another time.

Moses came to understand that his involvement in God’s work was in the context of hundreds of years of divine activity.  You and I are pieces of something bigger than ourselves.  I hope you sense that your life is part of God’s eternal purposes.

God Bless, Pastor Rick

Faith That Doesn’t Need A Sign

Week of October 28, 2022

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.” (Matthew 16:4, NKJV)

Is your faith one that always needs a sign in order to remain strong?  Do you always need a miracle in your life?  Do you feel like God always wants to do the spectacular?  My theology is that God does not always provide a miraculous escape from all the difficulties of life.  Our text reveals that Jesus condemned those that insisted on a sign.  He knew they could not believe without a steady stream of miracles also taking place.  Jesus condemned this kind of faith.  I believe this is so, because if we are not careful we will start preferring the miracle to the miracle worker. 

In the Old Testament, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the fiery furnace because of their obedience to God.  Here are their words to King Nebuchadnezzar, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18, NKJV).  They believed in God’s ability to deliver them and they trusted Him, whatever the outcome.

Does your faith need miracles to sustain it?  Hopefully, your faith is one that can say “But if not, I will still trust the Lord.”

God Bless, Pastor Rick