Pastor's Pen...
Pastor David
STAND UP FOR JESUS
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
We live as believers in a spiritual warzone. The battle is real and the casualties are all too many. We must be victorious in battle or we will become victims of the battle.
Stand Up For Jesus is more than just a song...it is a reality of our commitment to Jesus.
Paul presents us with 3 elements...
THE CALL TO STAND
To stand speaks of maintaining our ground, not yielding or fleeing in the face of the enemy.(verse 13)
We stand in 2 ways; first, standing for and second, standing against.
THE CONDITIONS FOR STANDING
We go to battle being fully armed,(6:10-12).
There are the elements of preparation and discipline. We learn how to be a "good soldier" for the cause of Christ.
To stand your ground means that you both guard your ground and then hold your ground. Give no place to the devil!
THE COMMITMENT TO STAND
Being called and conditioned means we must be also committed to the battle,(6:14).
Stand, therefore...we are to successfully resist the enemy!
JULY 2, 2020
LET US THINK THIS THROUGH...
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:7 that the time would come when "nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom."
The word "nation" speaks of ethnic groups and the word "kingdom" speaks of governments.
From this warning, we learn that there will be constant conflict between both peoples and powers as we head toward the final days. We hear the steady call for unity and peace but how to achieve such goals appear to be way beyond humanity's ability to succeed in reaching such goals. So, the struggle between peoples and powers continue.
There is an answer to this dilemma. The answer is Jesus Christ. John writes in Revelation 7:9-
"After this I beheld and to a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands. And cried with a loud voice saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb."
Only in Jesus can humanity find unity and peace. In 1863, a song was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow entitled, I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY. This song was written with the backdrop of death and destruction. In 1861, Henry lost his wife who was killed in a fire, and the same year the country would be torn apart with the start of the Civil War. On Christmas Day, 1863, Henry gave vent to his feelings in this now known Christmas carol. In the verses of this carol, Henry expresses deep darkness and disappointment, but the carol does not end on a sad note. Consider the verse that has been left out of the original carol.
I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
THEIR OLD FAMILAR CAROLS PLAY
AND WILD AND SWEET THE WORDS REPEAT
OF PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN
AND IN DESPAIR I BOWED MY HEAD
"THERE IS NO PEACE ON EARTH" I SAID
FOR HATE IS STRONG AND MOCKS THE SONG
OF PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN
THEN PEALED THE BELLS MORE LOUD AND DEEP
GOD IS NOT DEAD NOR DOES HE SLEEP
THE WRONG SHALL FAIL THE RIGHT PREVAIL
WITH PEACE ON EARTH GOOD WILL TO MEN
Humanity continues to look around for this dream of unity and peace but if we would just look above, we would find the answer, Jesus Christ.
June 14, 2020
Here we are almost one month back in public worship services and we still don't know for certain as which way we will be heading in the months ahead. Many have asked when we will be able to return to full activities and the answer is simple, "Don't really know!"
I am seeking to be both safe and cautious in decisions for our full return to church-wide activities. As it stands now, I am looking to see if the school system will bring students back to school in August and what procedures are being used. If this is the case, then we will set to restart full activities in August. It is difficult for both our Sunday School and our Children's Church ministries to get back on track at this present time. this is our time of the year when we welcome guests from all over the country and we must be mindful of them as well as of our own people.
For the present time we are focusing upon our worship services on Sundays and Wednesdays. Hopefully, our people will begin to return for these public worship services sooner than later. Until then we will praise the Lord together for the ability to do what we are now doing. Please join us as we meet for Sundays at 11 and 6:30 and Wednesdays at 6:30 for our worship services.
Thank you for your prayers and your faithfulness to God.
Looking forward to the Future!
Pastor David
June 4, 2020
Well, here we are. Sunday is the day, June 7th. The day we are praying and hoping to rejoin as a church family in person. Though we would love to have everyone return, we understand that this may not be possible for many of you. This is a personal decision where each individual must use their own discretion. WE will still be continue to broadcast and record. We are still a church family even if you are not able or ready to return. Again, I urge you to use your own personal discretion and make the decision that is right for you and will keep you safe and healthy.
Sunday morning will introduce a new series. This Sunday, the sermon is 'The Lamb is the Light'
will lead into a series that will focus on an in-depth study of Revelation 21 & 22, 'Having An Eye On Eternity'.
Sunday evenings we will continue our study on the Life of Elisha(part 3). Wednesday evenings we will begin a new study entitled, 'Credible Christianity' based upon 1 John. We will have CD's and study guides available.
Whether you are here in person or online, we are family!
God Bless You,
Pastor David
May 23, 2020
June 7th
Start-Up Sunday...
Things will be a bit different as we begin to make our way back to having public worship once again here at Chapel. The following guidelines will be in place:
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No Hymnbooks thus No Congregational Singing
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No Passing of the Offering Plates-a basket will be available at the front door as you come in so that you can place your offering into the basket
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We ask that there be ONLY 1 person at a time in the bathrooms
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We ask that we keep as little physical contact with each other as possible
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We ask that you space yourself at a distance from others as you take your seat
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Please bring your own Bibles
As we strive to follow these simple guidelines, this will make it possible for a quick and safe return to a more normal worship experience
Please remember that we are focusing upon just the MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE at 11:00 a.m. We will continue to have our regular Evening Worship services at 6:30 on Sunday and Wednesdays for those who would wish to come. The services will continue to broadcast live.
Remember that all services are recorded for CD play and video recorded for YOUTUBE.
Pastor David
May 4, 2020
Peace, Perfect Peace is the title of a hymn written by Edward Bickersteth in 1875. This hymn was inspired by the words of Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
In times of trials and tribulation, we seek the peace that comes only from god. Paul instructs us in Philippians 4:7-9 that the "peace of God" comes from knowing the "God of peace" Yes, even in the midst of the storms of life the God of peace comes to us and gives to us the peace of God. In Colossians 3:15, Paul tells us that it is God's peace that must be allowed to "rule" in our hearts and minds. the word "rule" means to govern and prevail.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, even in troubling times, we must learn how to allow God to fill our hearts and minds with his perfect peace. It is this peace of God that we can receive from the God of peace that will anchor our spirits as we face the changing times ahead.
Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know and He is on the throne.
Pastor David
April 19, 2020
The days in which we are now living, call for spiritual discernment on the part of God's people. In light of our present circumstances and the questions that have come my way, I will focus our next few Sunday morning messages on the Prophetic Preview as set forth by Jesus in Matthew 24. This prophetic preview is known as the Olivet Discourse.
Of all the many prophetic passages found in the Bible, this one passage is possibly the most misunderstood and misapplied. For these reasons, I will seek to present this discourse of our Lord in its proper setting. We will be asking 4 major questions: Who? What? Where? and Why? Once these questions are answered, a proper interpretation of this passage is possible.
The outcome of our study, having first dealt with these 4 questions, will no doubt surprise many by the conclusions drawn from this message of our Lord. The following principle will be applied:
BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION MUST PRECEDE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
Setting a proper context is the key to achieving true biblical interpretation followed by presenting a spiritual application.
Please read Matthew 24 - 25 and pray for spiritual discernment as we examine those forthcoming messages. The title for this series is...
A PROPHETIC PREVIEW
God Bless You,
Pastor David
April 13, 2019
Paul writes in Romans 5:2, " rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Our hope is in God alone and hope becomes "an anchor for the soul" according to Hebrews 6:19. It is the path to hope that Paul sets before us in Romans 5:15.
He begins with a most unpleasant subject, tribulation. But tribulation brings about patience. It must be understood that patience is the fruit plucked from the tree of tribulation. With patience comes experience or literally the state of being approved. With a patient endurance during times of tribulation, the believer gains the approval of God.
Having the approval of God, the believer's heart is filled with hope. Hope speaks of confidence in God. When we experience the spirit of hope we experience the love of God in our hearts. This love is likened to a flowing river gushing forth or being poured out. Peter states that God has given to us a "living hope" in 1 Peter 1:3.
In these trying times let us not lose hope. David understood the value of hope and wrote about it in Psalm 42. He would declare--
" Hope thou in God: I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance...Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance."
Let the following be our prayer--Romans 15:13
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."
God Bless You,
Pastor David
Pastor's Pen...
This coming Lord's Day, we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This event is too often viewed as simply an historical event that is attached to ancient history.
The truth be told, is that this event of the past should speak of a personal reality in the present time.
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you?
What does the work of Calvary mean to you?
In the work of Calvary, we see the following...
1. He Loved us
2. He Washed Us
3. He Made us
Because of what Jesus has done, we see the outcome of what he wants to do for all who would come to him in saving faith.
At Calvary, Jesus shows his love for us.
By Calvary, Jesus shows his ability to wash us from our sins.
Through Calvary, Jesus assures a bright future for those who would come to him in saving faith.
Let the celebration of this Resurrection Sunday be the celebration of your own personal salvation. Click on the words and let us pray for you or pray with you.
God Bless You,
Pastor David
March 30, 2020
A word from the Pastor...
Dear Chapel Family and Friends,
We have made it through another week. The crisis of our time is starting to wear many down and many are still trying to get a straight word on what it is that we will be having to deal with in the coming months. Let me encourage you...Don't lose heart!!
God is still on His throne and nothing catches our God by surprise. Our God knows all about our present set of circumstances and he is working in the midst of it all. Please pray with\ me for the discovery of a cure to take out this virus. So many people have suffered the loss of loved ones and others have suffered the loss of jobs and income. May God help each and everyone who struggles through these difficult times.
We are still offering live audio broadcast of our services. The number of those who are tuning in for each service is a great encouragement to me personally. Pray for the services and please share the news with other people if you can. Also, we ask that you mail in your tithes and offerings.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday. It is the celebration of that day when Jesus presented himself to the nation of Israel as her rightful king. Though he would be rejected, the story is not over at all. Tune in this Sunday morning at 11:00 AM for our message entitled, "WHO IS THIS?"
The people saw Jesus as a mere prophet, but they missed seeing Jesus as King. One's eternal destiny rests upon this single question...WHO is Jesus?
God Bless You,
Pastor David
March 23, 2020
A word from the Pastor...
Sunday was a rather strange new experience for us here at Chapel. We held our services at the usual times for the sake of producing a live broadcast for each service.
There were those who chose to attend in person while others stayed away and sought to tune in by way of our church website. We had so many tune-in that our system could not handle all who tried to listen in. We are working on this issue and hope to resolve it as soon as possible.
Let us together pray for a quick resolution to this present crisis. God can indeed raise up someone who will be able to find a cure for this virus. Until such time, let us be faithful to God and seek to be a source of comfort to those who would cross our path.
I truly missed seeing my church family and look forward to the time when we can all join in together for a praise and worship service once again. Please pray for your Chapel family during this difficult time. Also, please remember we need your continued financial support. For the present time, we ask that you mail in your tithes and offerings.
This storm will pass, and we will surely see a brighter day.
God is still on His throne!!!
“When you see the ark of the covenant…go after it…that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before.”
(Joshua 3:1-4)
Follow the ark! This was the command of Joshua given to the people as they were making preparations to enter the Land of Promise. It was a new land with new possibilities and they had never before walked in this direction. They did not know where this path would lead them or what they would encounter in this new and strange land.
Joshua encouraged and instructed them to just follow the ark of God. As we enter a new year shouldn’t this be good advice for us as well. We know not what lies ahead. There is such an uncertain mood as we look out across our world and see all the many different problems and struggles that have now beset our world.
Follow the ark! If we would do this – follow our God – we will be able to walk whatever path is set before us and encounter whatever issues that shall confront us. Our God is able to see us through as he was able to lead the Hebrew children on their march into the Land of Promise.
Will you follow God? It is normal for many to start out on the right path at the beginning but what about the follow-through? Once upon the right path will you stay the course? Let us start out on the path of God’s choosing and make a commitment to stay the course. Let us not waste the opportunity to follow God and enter into his many blessings.