 Hello, Community Bible Church family! This is Pastor Joel, and I wanted to take a moment to share why I am incredibly thankful that we are a non-denominational church. Recent events in one of the major denominations in America have reinforced this gratitude and highlighted the unique benefits of our non-denominational status.
At the recent general conference of the United Methodist denomination, decisions were made that diverged significantly from traditional Christian beliefs. They approved the blessing and marriage of homosexual couples, allowed practicing homosexual or transgender pastors, and even discouraged using male gendered pronouns for God. These developments, while concerning, serve as a reminder of why our non-denominational identity is valuable. Being non-denominational means we have no external authority dictating our beliefs or practices. We are self-governing, with the freedom to interpret Scripture and uphold our doctrinal statements without interference. This autonomy empowers us to stay true to biblical principles and prevents external pressures from compromising our faith. However, with this freedom comes responsibility. As members of a non-denominational church, we must be actively involved in ensuring doctrinal fidelity. Unlike denominations that provide a safety net through collective oversight, we rely on our collective discernment to stay aligned with biblical truth. This necessitates a deeper engagement with our beliefs, understanding, and adherence to our doctrinal statement. One advantage of non-denominationalism is the flexibility to draw from various theological perspectives. Our church welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering a rich tapestry of beliefs and interpretations. This diversity challenges us to approach Scripture with humility, seeking unity in essential doctrines while respecting differences in non-essential matters. In my preaching approach, I prioritize a verse-by-verse exposition, aiming for clarity and accuracy in interpreting Scripture. This method allows everyone, regardless of their denominational background, to engage with the Word of God authentically. Our shared commitment to scriptural truth transcends denominational labels, fostering a unified understanding of biblical principles. One of the greatest strengths of a non-denominational church is its adaptability to scriptural insights. If we discover areas where our beliefs deviate from biblical truth, we have the freedom and responsibility to correct course. This continual alignment with Scripture ensures that our church remains steadfast in its commitment to genuine, biblically grounded Christianity. In conclusion, the non-denominational nature of our church provides a unique opportunity for spiritual growth, doctrinal fidelity, and unity amidst diversity. Let us embrace this identity with gratitude and dedication, striving to honor God and serve one another as we journey together in faith.
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 We all know Christians are supposed to do certain things: going to church, reading your Bible, being generous, etc... These practices are called spiritual disciples, and it’s these actions that train ourselves to become more like Christ. Over the next few blog posts we will be posting about different disciplines, the reason they are important, and some practical tips on how to do it so that “that the man [or woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
At Community Bible Church, we are currently memorizing one or two Bible verses each month. This practice is so crucial because Scripture commands us to "Hide God's Word in our heart so that we might not sin against Him" (Psalm 119:11). Memorizing Scripture is not just a command in the Bible but a spiritual discipline that strengthens our faith, equips us for life's challenges, helps us grow closer to God, and it is the most important way to combat temptation. When Satan tempted Jesus, how did Jesus respond? By quoting Scripture. If Jesus used Scripture to defeat temptation, how much more do we need it! So the moment you are tempted you can recall a verse that speaks to you and that scripture has the power to overcome the temptation you are facing! So here are a few practical tips on how to memorize Scripture effectively: 1. Pray for Guidance: Begin by praying and asking God to guide you in selecting the right verses for memorization. Seek His wisdom and discernment to choose verses that speak to your heart and align with your spiritual growth journey. This step is crucial because it invites God into the process, acknowledging our dependence on Him for understanding and retention of His Word. Prayer is essential in the memorization process because it fosters a deeper connection with God and opens our hearts to receive His truth. It invites the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning and significance of the verses we are memorizing, making the experience more than just a mental exercise but a spiritual encounter. Through prayer, we invite God to speak to us through His Word, transforming our minds and conforming us to His will (Romans 12:2). By starting with prayer, we acknowledge that memorizing Scripture is not just about rote memorization but about cultivating a vibrant relationship with God. It reminds us that His Word is living and active, capable of transforming our lives as we hide it in our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). Prayer infuses our memorization journey with purpose and meaning, ensuring that we approach Scripture memorization with a humble and teachable heart. 2. Break it Down: Divide the verse into smaller sections or phrases. Focus on memorizing one part at a time before moving on to the next. This incremental approach makes memorization less daunting and more manageable. 3. Repetition is Key: Repetition is a powerful tool for memorization. Recite the verse aloud multiple times each day, and write it down on index cards or sticky notes to review throughout your day. The more you engage with the verse, the more firmly it will stick in your memory. 4. Use Memory Aids: Mnemonic devices, such as acronyms or visual imagery, can aid in memorization. Create a memorable phrase or image that encapsulates the verse's meaning, making it easier to recall when needed. 5. Apply Scripture: Connect the memorized verses to real-life situations. Reflect on how the verse applies to your circumstances, and incorporate it into your prayers and daily conversations with God. Applying Scripture in practical ways reinforces its significance and deepens your understanding. 6. Accountability and Community: Share your memorization goals with a friend, family member, or in your Community Group. Accountability and mutual encouragement can provide motivation and support in your memorization journey. Consider participating in group memorization challenges or activities within your church community. The importance of memorizing Scripture extends beyond mere recitation. It transforms our hearts and minds, aligning them with God's truth and wisdom. Memorizing Scripture equips us to combat temptation, encourages us in times of trial, and guides us in making wise decisions. As we internalize God's Word, it becomes a source of strength, hope, and assurance in our daily lives. Let us embrace the discipline of memorization, knowing that it leads us closer to God and strengthens our walk of faith. Looking for a place to start? Join us in memorizing our Verse of the Month for May: Matthew 6:33-34 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  Happy New Year Community Bible Church! We pray this year will be one of growth in the Lord where we put Him first in everything.
If you struggle with reading your Bible, here are some helpful tips: 1. Start small - it is better to read a little bit each day then try to do too much and quit. 2. Start in the New Testament - often people will quit as they get bogged down in the Old Testament law. While those books are equally important, for beginners the New Testament is usually easier to comprehend. If you read one chapter per day in the New Testament you will finish the whole thing in under a year. 3. Read until you get something - The point of reading your Bible is to actually get something out of it. So if something strikes you, don't be afraid to stop, pray, and meditate on that truth. Don't ever read the Bible to just check off a list. 4. Read a physical Bible, electronics are wonderful, but also can be distracting with extra notifications coming in. So get a physical Bible, underline and write in your Bible! 5. Get a good Study Bible. - Sometimes the Bible is difficult to understand, so having a good Study Bible will help answer questions you have. 6. Pray before and after - anyone can read the Bible l, but only those who are guided by the Holy Spirit will ever fully understand the power of the living Word of God. 7. Just start! - just like any new habit, the first step is the hardest, so just start. When you accidentally miss a day, don't sweat it. Don't give up. Do it the next day. Each day you read your Bible is a blessing. What other things have helped you in reading and studying your Bible? We would love to hear them. Leave them in the comments below!  So, we are 12 weeks into our Saturday service, and I am absolutely loving it. Let me share with you why it is becoming my favorite time of worship and connecting with our church.
1.It’s Laid Back The Saturday service offers a laid-back atmosphere that sets it apart from Sundays. Gone are the days of rushing to find a good parking spot or pushing through crowded lobbies. Instead, we can arrive at our own pace, without feeling the pressure of time constraints. Additionally, there's no need to worry about waiting in line to pick up your kids or juggling various responsibilities. The Saturday service has allowed us to experiment with different elements, such as having ice cream or food after the service, dedicating extended time for prayer, and fostering a greater sense of fellowship. You can come as you are, without the need to dress up in your Sunday best, and experience a more relaxed and enjoyable worship experience. 2. It’s More Intimate Another aspect that I cherish about the Saturday service is its smaller size. Being the newest addition to our church's worship schedule, it currently attracts a smaller congregation. However, it's heartwarming to see that many people are consistently attending this service each week. This intimate setting creates a sense of closeness and familiarity among the worshippers. In fact, you will likely encounter the same group of approximately 100 people every Saturday. This environment provides a golden opportunity to forge deeper connections, make new friendships, and build meaningful relationships within the church community. The Saturday service allows our larger church to feel much smaller and more interconnected, fostering a sense of belonging that is truly special. 3. It Allows You To Be a Better Witness Attending the Saturday service opens up Sunday mornings for various possibilities. You can leisurely go out for breakfast with loved ones, spend quality time with your family, explore the beauty of nature in the local park, or conveniently run errands at the store. One of the greatest advantages is that it frees up your entire Sunday morning, allowing you to engage in different activities especially with unsaved people. When we do evangelism on Saturday mornings one of the most common occurrences is talking to people who already believe in Jesus (Praise God!). But it's important to note that on Sunday mornings, a vast majority of people you encounter do not have a church home. This presents a unique opportunity to be a witness and share the love of Christ outside the church walls. By actively participating in the community, striking up conversations with unsaved individuals, and boldly talking about Jesus, you can contribute to spreading the Gospel and making a difference in people's lives. 4. It’s a great way to serve others Last but not least, attending the Saturday service allows us to fulfill our calling as Christians to serve others. As followers of Christ, we are encouraged to lay down our own desires and well-being for the sake of others within the body of believers. By choosing to worship on Saturday, we create more open seats for our fellow church members and guests on Sunday. If someone comes to more full service and we run out of seats it will give the impression to them they are not welcome here. That we had no room left for them. That might have been the time they would have stayed and believed in Christ. So this act of selflessness of attending a service that not as many are demonstrates our commitment to living out the principles of love and service that Jesus taught us. So why not take advantage of this season in our church's life and come out to the Saturday service! You will be blessed and be a blessing all at the same time. See you Saturday at 4:00pm!  Our main responsibility as parents is to train up our children to love the Lord. This has always been a job for parents, as the Lord told the Jewish people to diligently teach their children this truth “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7) That command of teaching our children how to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might should still be followed today. When they asked Jesus what the greatest command was, he said it was this one (Matthew 22:36-37). Most Christian parents agree this is important, but yet many of us don’t know how to do this. The good news is this passage gives us instructions on how to do it: Talk about it. A LOT! Every chance you get bring up the Bible; talk about what you are reading and learning. Ask them about their favorite Bible stories or what they learned in church. I will often quiz my boys with Bible trivia and when they don’t know an answer I will take time to explain the story to them. There is nothing better than simply allowing these conversations to permeate every part of your life with your children. Nevertheless, even with all the best intentions in the world, I will often forget or not be as intentional as I like. This is where a good tool or resource can come in handy to help facilitate these conversations. My family uses the New City Catechism by The Gospel Coalition. For many of us the idea of a catechism is foreign or seems like it belongs to the Roman Catholics, but that should not be the case, a catechism is simply “a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for the instruction of Christians.” In this particular catechism, there are 52 questions and answers, one a week for a year. The First Question: They then give a passage to support the answer: Romans 14:7-8 “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” There is additional commentary and instruction as well, and if you use the “children’s mode” they also include a song to help little ones remember the answer. When we eat together as a family, I will pull up the app on my phone read the question, answer, and Bible verse and talk about what it means. Since we have young children we will sing the song together and try to make up hand motions to help us remember the words. We will repeat this each night at dinner over the week until we memorize then move onto the next question. Is this the only way to do family devotions? No, not at all, but I have found it to be a helpful and practical tool for my family and it might be for your family as well. As a parent, don’t fall into the trap thinking it’s the church’s responsibility to train your children and not yours. Our goal is to help encourage you to train up your children to follow the Lord with all heart, soul, and might as only parents can do! Link to website: http://newcitycatechism.com/ You can also download it in all the major app stores by searching for New City Catechism.
 Have you ever wondered why God would forgive you? I know I have. Even after I became a Christian I have been so disappointed by all the sins that I have committed and wondered to myself, why would God ever want to forgive me? In the darker times I have even wondered, does God still forgive me? Does He still love me? Because let’s be honest, if someone sinned against you as often as we sin against God, it would be difficult to forgive and love them. Especially after we have given our own son to die for their life to be saved. Yet, after that, they are constantly sinning and betraying you! We would likely want nothing to do with that person anymore, but thankfully God is not like that! You might be thinking, but how do you know? How do we know that God is still willing to forgive, and he still loves you even after everything that you have done? The truth lies in the motivation for why God forgave you in the first place. If God forgave you because you earned it or because you were one of the most pristine people he could find; then yes, your continued sin should put your salvation in doubt, but there was another motivation for your salvation. David asked for forgiveness not based on anything he did but instead based upon who God is.David wrote in Psalm 25:11 “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” When David was asking for forgiveness, he did not say I will try harder next time, or please forgive me just one more time. Rather, he asked for forgiveness not based on anything he did but instead based upon who God is. God forgave because He is great and loving. Not because of anything you have done, but according to mercy (Titus 3:5). So as we fall into sin and He forgives us again, it does nothing but magnify how great God’s love and mercy is. With every act of forgiveness God is glorified even greater! “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) We glorify God by following Him, yet even when we don’t God still gets His glory. Let us give Him that glory before the rocks cry out in worship instead. We can worship Him because we know there isn’t anything in this life that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35). We didn’t earn it, so we can’t lose it. God was just showing off His greatness in us.  Christians have been boycotting Halloween before boycotts were cool. Understandably, in many ways Halloween is a celebration of darkness and sin. Antithetical to the gospel’s message. Yet, not everyone feels this way. Which leaves many believers to ask the question: “Is it okay to celebrate Halloween?” When I’m asked that question, I first like to clarify there are absolutely actions that ought to be avoided. As Christians we never want to glorify or take part in sin. Some of these type of actions include dressing up as murderers, demons, or provocatively. We also should avoid watching movies about such things. As Christians we are called to be different and we shouldn’t be making light of sinful behavior. It is hard to be the light to your community when you are literally dressing up and partaking in darkness. But what about your daughter dressing up like a princess or your son dressing up like his favorite football player? Maybe you got invited to a Halloween party and you picked out a wholesome and fun outfit, is it wrong to even partake in those things? I like to zoom out from October 31st itself and ask: is the action wrong in and of itself? Meaning, is it sinful for a little girl to dress up like a princess on any other day of the year? No! In fact, using her imagination is a wonderful gift from God. So if it is okay for her to do the other 364 days of the year, then I don’t think it suddenly becomes sinful because of what other people are doing on that day. In the same vein though, would it be wrong for that same little girl to dress up like a murderer stained in blood carrying a fake knife to scare people on the other days of year? Yes! That is making light of sinfulness and ought not to be done by Christians. So if it is wrong to do on October 30th, it is wrong to do on October 31st, if it is not wrong on the 30th then it is ok on the 31st as well. Romans 14:1-8 also guides us in this area. In it Paul explains that people were eating meat that was offered to idols. Personally, I think I would have a problem eating food offered to some evil idol, if I’m being honest. Yet Paul teaches that it was actually a perfectly acceptable thing to do, unless one believes it is sinful or wrong then they ought not to do it. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:5-8) With the Halloween discussion, I encourage Christians to ask themselves, can I help redeem this situation? Can you live unto the Lord, as Romans 14 says, by bringing light to the darkness? Some Christians will reject Halloween so much that they will turn off all the lights to their home so everyone knows not to come near their home to trick or treat. Others will fully embrace and think there is nothing wrong with being associated with the dark and sinful parts. I don't believe either of these options are best. Instead, let's ask how we can redeem the day. Here is how my family and I do this: Unbeknownst to us, after we bought our house and moved in we were told that we live on the most popular street for trick or treating in all of Hernando County. And it is the truth! We literally have hundreds and hundreds of people stop by our house every October 31st. Instead of turning off the lights, we literally crank up the lights. We bring out bright flashing lights, carnival games, and invite people over from the church and have a mini carnival right in my front yard! We give out flyers for church, offer to pray for people, and try to engage them with the gospel. We aren’t running or hiding from the darkness, we are trying to confront it with the light of Christ. What an absolute gift that we have that literally hundreds of my neighbors come to my house! I would be foolish to not use this opportunity to be the light that God has called me to be. You might not live on a trick or treat street like me, but I am confident there will be many opportunities on Halloween to share the love of Christ to your friends and neighbors. So this Halloween, don’t settle and celebrate the dark sinful parts of Halloween, also don’t run from it; but rather ask yourself how can we redeem Halloween and share the love of Jesus on this day like every other day. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)  I'm sure all Floridians are aware by now that a hurricane is headed towards us. Yet for my family, there was something equally important this week, my son Micah turned 5.
As I mentioned in my sermon yesterday, these two events has me reminiscing about the last time a major hurricane was headed towards us on the Nature Coast. Hurricane Irma was almost exactly 5 years ago. I remember this so well because Micah's due date was just a few days away from landfall. It was a scary time, yet looking back it was a time that God grew our faith in Him. Below is my Facebook status from the day after Hurricane Irma passed over us (we were living in St. Petersburg at the time). I hope it encourages you as we sit here and stare at spaghetti models over the next few days. "I want to say thank you so much to everyone who reached out, offered help, and prayed for us over the last few days. It truly was an encouragement to our hearts and I sincerely believe that all the prayer led to a safe and baby free night. We are safe and doing well. Others are saying we were "lucky" but we know better, prayer works. It has been a whirlwind of a week, and the crazy part is even though we feel like we just ran a marathon, Beth still has to give birth! Her due date is the 18th. Please continue to pray for a safe delivery. To give you snapshot of the last few days for us: I was scared. As a husband and father so much of my identity is wrapped up in being the protector and provider of my family. I work hard and do whatever I can to make sure that my family is safe and cared for. But it’s hard to feel safe when you are watching a Category 5 hurricane coming at you. It’s hard to feel like a good provider when it's nearly impossible to find bread, water, and gas because all the stores ran out. ---- In 1 Kings there is a story of the starving widow and her son who had one meal left when Elijah asked for a meal first. I can confidently say I was not going to give up my family's food to a stranger asking for handout. ----- To make matters much worse, we were faced with a very real possibility of Bethany going into labor during the storm. She went into labor 8 days early with our first son, and the storm was going to be hitting us 8 days before her next due day. All the while, being constantly reminded in the days leading up to the storm that supposedly “low pressure storms can cause women to go into labor”. Not to mention the overall stress and extra activity the storm was causing. As someone that takes pride in doing whatever it takes to take care of my family, I felt helpless. I couldn’t stop a hurricane. I couldn’t hold off my wife’s labor pains. I couldn’t do anything. ----- I wonder if Joseph felt the same way when Mary went into labor yet there was no room in the inn so they were alone in a stable for her to give birth. ----- I have fasted before, but I have never fasted like I did this week. I was praying hard, but I honestly did not realize for a couple of days that I hardly ate a bite. My stomach was turning so much, my appetite was gone. ----- I bet Esther felt the same way when she was fasting for the survival of the Hebrew nation after the King’s order that all Jews could be killed. ----- Throughout it all, I kept reminding myself that God made the storm and no matter what happens it would be for good. I would find moments of peace throughout, times like when I was boarding the house singing hymns loud enough for the my neighbors to hear, and when I turned to His word, especially Isaiah 41 and Psalms 46. But then I would have moments of anxiety as I watched the news or looked at the constantly changing spaghetti models. ------ It's hard to be upset at Peter for taking his eyes off of Jesus to look at the waves when he was walking on water, when I kept taking my eyes off of Him and my feet were firmly planted on the ground. ------ As we sheltered at my work and the storm was passing overhead. I heard, saw, and felt the strongest wind I have ever experienced in my life. I couldn't help but think of the disciples fearing for their lives as Jesus calmly slept in the back of the boat. Only to get up and calm the wind and the seas with a few words. It's in these moments I learn more about the Bible than I would hours and hours of studying. Because it's hard to capture the feeling, the angst, the stress, and the worry as I sit in my comfortable chair, in a quiet house, reading my Bible on a sunny morning. Rather my faith is strengthen through the testing of it, which is truly the only way to grow faith, by being in situations where you actually need faith! God gives us these moments of hardships so we can more fully trust and rely on him as He proves himself once again. The simple truth is I can never protect or provide for my family. I can’t make their heart beat one second longer than what God wants it to. I can’t stop other seemingly random occurrences from happening that could hurt them or our home. God is in 100% control of those situations, and it isn’t until I am in a situation that I am completely out of control that I am reminded of that again and thankful for the opportunity. Last night we came home, I removed all the plywood and had good friends and neighbors show us love by helping us remove a large tree branch off of our roof, then offer us a generator so we could power a light and some other items after it got dark. Which was an amazing blessing. But even with that Beth and I were emotionally spent. The stress of the last few days caught up to us as we sat in a dimly lit and very hot and humid house. So we prayed and we cried. We thanked God for the safety and grace He showed us and then we asked Him for strength for ourselves to face another day and power in the house to allow us to rest and find normalcy again before the baby came. Then we laid down for bed... 10 minutes later the power came on."  If you haven’t heard the news, Community Bible Church is starting THREE SERVICES on August 28th! They will be on Sunday mornings at 8:15am, 9:45am, 11:15am. If you have been coming for any length of time you know CBC has been growing like crazy! This time 2 years ago we still only had one service, which means in the last two years we have over doubled in size! Which also means we need to keep making room. Whenever there is a change, people have questions. One of the questions that I occasionally get is “are you ready for this?” they ask with trepidation. Not only am I ready, but I am EXCITED and here are a few reasons why. 1. Having a third service will make our bigger church feel smaller. After a church reaches a certain size it can feel easy to be lost in a crowd. You can slip in and out for weeks and no one knows you. Yet, this isn’t how church is supposed to be. As we add an additional service it will make all our services smaller. This will allow you to get to know others much better because you will begin to see the same people each week. No longer will you be lost in the crowd but you will get to see the same people in the same service each week and establish a meaningful friendship with them. You might be thinking, but what about those people that go to a different service than me, I will never see them. I understand the concern, but the good news is: there will still be plenty of opportunities to meet and fellowship with other church members including Bible studies, Sunday schools, and community groups. Furthermore, studies show we really only know 40 or so people in the church. Our goal as we grow larger is not that you know everyone, but rather that you know someone really well. We want to make sure that everyone feels known and loved by others in the church. Going to smaller services will help us accomplish this as it gives you a chance to know and fellowship with others. 2. It will allow more flexibility for you to be involved. Unfortunately, Sundays are a busy day for many of us. It is not unusual anymore for people to be scheduled to work on Sundays, for our kids to have soccer games, or any number of other things that require us to be present. Which makes being at church all the more difficult. Don’t misunderstand me: you should schedule your life around being at church, not schedule church attendance around the rest of the “more important” things in your life. With that being said, adding an additional service will give flexibility to those who legitimately need it. So if you must be at work in Tampa at 11:00am on Sunday, you can come to the 8:15am service. Or if you are one of our truck drivers who will frequently drive very late on Saturday night to make it to church the next day, the 11:15 service will be perfect for them. Adding this extra service will help us make sure we can continue connecting people to the church, regardless of their circumstance. 3. It will make sure we always have an open seat for those who need it. This is the most important reason. When our services get too full it is easy to feel unwelcomed and unwanted. It makes you feel that you are too late to the party and there is no place for you. As long as there are still people in Hernando County that need Jesus and aren’t involved in a church then we want to make sure there is always a seat ready for them. Statistically, it is often thought that once a church reaches 70-80% capacity the church will stop growing. Which means we will stop reaching the people that God has called us to reach. We are starting this service to make sure everyone knows they matter to Jesus and they matter to us. Which means if you are a member or regular attender at CBC, please consider attending either the 8:15 service, or if you aren’t an early morning person than the 11:15am service. We expect the 9:45am service to be the most full, and practical and simple way for you to serve the church and love others. Give them the seat that you wanted. We hope that you too aren’t just ready for three services but excited for what God is doing here! Pastor Joel Transcript (Automatically generated):
Hello Community Bible Church this is Pastor Joel. I wanted to address a few things and really just a few worries that I've been hearing. A lot of people have asked me, I've been getting a lot of questions about the war over in Ukraine right now. And if this is a sign of the end, if this is going to be the end of the world, or should we be anxious, should we be worried here? And so I wanted to just to take a minute and address this because Jesus actually addresses this same thing with his disciples 2000 years ago. Whenever Jesus was sitting on the Mount of olives. His disciples came to a Matthew 24 and said, Jesus, what is the sign of your coming back again? We know that you're coming back again. So can you tell us, can you give us some indication, can you give us some hits some insider knowledge to let us know that you are about to return soon? And Jesus graciously answers them and starts to give, uh, some hits some indications about when he is going to return back what they can look for. And so in Matthew 24, He says, “see that no one leads you astray for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and they will lead many astray.” And that word for Christ means Messiah. It's really just somebody that claims that they can get to God and they can, uh, uh, show you the way as well. But we know that there's only one. That Jesus Christ was the one true Messiah. And so there's many other false religions, many other false teachings who claim to be like a Messiah that says we will lead you to God, but we know that it's not true. And so we look around and we say, certainly that is true here today that we know that there is many, many people that are being led astray. And so certainly we are in the in times, and I believe that that we are in the entire. And he goes on and actually even makes a more compelling case. And the next verse six, it says, and you will hear of wars and rumors of war. And we say, well, that's definitely true, right? Every time that I turn on the TV, every time I go on Facebook, every time I turn on my phone, I just getting updates of wars and rumors of wars. And now maybe what if America gets pulled into it? What if there's a nuclear war? How is this all going to end? We're worried about our economy or worried about our kids. We're worried about everything right now, because we are hearing wars and rumors of wars and thinking that this certainly must be the. But listen to what Jesus said next. “See that you are not alarmed”. See that you are not alone, even though there's wars and rumors of wars going on. And there are false religions leading people away, don't be alarmed. And we say, how in the world could we not be alarmed? Does he not understand the modern warfare and nuclear war? Does he not understand how scary this can be? Yes, he understands it. And the reason why we ought not to be alarmed, number one is because this place is not our home. America's not our home. Similarly, if we were to go over to Ukraine, you know what we would be probably alarmed. We would probably want to help those people out in any way that we could. But at the same time, we would not nearly be as invested in. As if we were people of Ukraine Ukrainians, right? Because if it was your home, you would be completely invested in it. But if you were just an American over there, you would want to do the best to help out. But yet you could know that I'm going to go back to America and before. And in the same way for us here, this world is not our home. So, we can look around and we shot a be doing good. We ought to do good by the city that we are in, as Jeremiah, the prophet, told us. At the same time we ought not be scared because this world is not our home. America's not our home, Florida is not our home, our home and our citizenship is in heaven and that remains undefeated, amen? And so we ought not be scared, we ought not to be worried. And then the second reason that we ought not to be sacred, is because it's all in God's plan. God has been orchestrating every single thing. And so, yes, I do believe that this war is helping lead us to the second coming. But I also think that World War Two was helping us lead to the, in terms of what it was able to do for the nation of Israel. And, and even though Satan gave his worst attack that he possibly could try. God was still in control over that. Wasn't he and every single war since Christ has ascended back into heaven, I was just been in preparation, preparing this place, put player in this earth for the return of his king and the new heaven and the new earth. So we can rest assured knowing that even this is all in His plans. I don't believe he causes a, this type of bloodshed, but I believe he is using all of this in order to bring people to Him, and make all things work together for good. And that good is that he is going to come back. but [the verses] go on, It says “for this must take place, but the end is not yet. The end is not yet.” So just because you hear of wars and rumors of wars does not necessarily mean that this is the end. We might be scared, and if that is you today and you are scared and you are worried. Let me encourage you go to the one who can help alleviate that, go to the one that said, take my yoke upon you. It is easy and light. That is Jesus Christ. And so if you are anxious, if you are scared, if you are worried about any of this, I encourage you to take it to the Lord in prayer. He can handle it and he can give you that peace that you are. One day he is going to come back and that might be today, or it might be after we all pass away, but that is in God's hands, and we can just anxiously await for Him and we can longingly look for Him, but then we can also get on our knees right now and talk to Him and what a blessed hope that is. And so that's what I have here for you today. I hope it encourages you just to remind you. Don't be anxious. Don't be scared. Don't be worried because it's all in God's hands and we can rest in him and know that his plans are for our good too. God bless. |
Dr. Joel HastingsThank you for visiting the blog of Community Bible Church. Check back each week for new content! Archives
May 2024
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