Archive for the ‘Fellowship’ Category

8 Sep

No Secret Christians

Posted by sandhillspastor in Bible, Body of Believers, Family of God, Fellowship, Relationships.

Hello friends,
The news from last week was the big rain. My electronic rain gauge registered 9.07 inches in 24 hours. Most of it came in a twelve-hour period. The river rose, but since the repairs to the dam gate controls have been mostly completed the lake stayed at a normal level.

It was good to see people in church this morning who we met a few years ago when they camped at the lake. Christians are family whether we meet weekly or annually. No matter the time or place, fellow believers have a common connection.

You may have heard of those who claim no need for fellowship as a church, but this is not biblical. In fact, the church from the beginning has centered on common fellowship. In Acts chapter two we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).

We are commanded to be His witnesses, and a witness is to speak of his or her testimony concerning their salvation. When the religious leaders commanded Peter and John to stop preaching their answer was, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

In Hebrews we read, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

18 Nov

What is a Disciple?

Posted by sandhillspastor in Christian Living, Discipleship, Evangelism, Fellowship, Obedience, The Good News.

Dear readers,
How about this weather for mid-November? From the forecast we can expect a change soon. This week will be a bit less busy than last, with only one doctor’s appointment compared to three last week.

Christians are expected to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Pastor J.D. Greear has some thoughts on this subject.

“A disciple is a:
Worshiper. A disciple seeks to know, love, and obey God above all else. It has been said, “Worship is not part of the Christian life; it is the Christian life.” Everything starts with this.
Family member. A disciple is not just a believer. They are a belonger. The church is not just an event you should attend but a community and family you belong to.
Servant. A disciple is one who has taken on Jesus’ posture of service to the world, who uses any power, position, or privilege they have to serve others.
Steward. A disciple manages God’s gifts for God’s purposes. Your money and time and talents were given to you not for your own purposes but to serve God’s kingdom.
Witness. A disciple recognizes that it is their responsibility to make disciples for Jesus. Matthew 4:19 says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (ESV). That means when you accepted the call to follow Jesus, you accepted the call to bring people to Jesus.

Are you a disciple maker? Are you intentionally bringing someone else along as a disciple? In the New Testament, the verb “make disciples” applies to helping someone with the initial act of conversion as well as helping them grow spiritually the rest of their life. You are supposed to be involved in every stage of that.

You may think you don’t know much about the Bible and that you’re not super talented, but it doesn’t matter. Jesus doesn’t care as much about your natural ability as he does your availability to be used by the Holy Spirit. You may still be growing, or you may even be a brand-new Christian. Every disciple of Jesus can be a disciple maker. Every Christian is born to spiritually reproduce. Today can be the beginning of a whole new disciple-making lifestyle, where you intentionally walk with other Christians through every stage of spiritual growth and help them become a disciple making disciple.

That is the kind of life that has an impact on eternity.”

For Him,
Pastor Jerry

11 Sep

Meeting Together

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Calling, Christian Living, Families, Family of God, Fellowship, Obedience.

Dear readers,

We have been blessed with nice rain. It happened Sunday morning, with more during the day. Along with the rain came cooler air, which is more than welcome after all those upper-nineties days. I am back home after my short stay in the hospital last week. There will be follow-up appointments, and except for being very tired, I feel okay. Once again, I am grateful for excellent medical care. Some would have you believe that we need to go to the big city for that, but I am convinced otherwise. Health care, much like ministry is a calling; some are called to serve in the city and some in the country. In either case, if you don’t see it as a calling, you probably won’t stay long. From my heart, thank you to everyone who follows their calling to serve others.

Sunday evening our church held a family oriented event we called “Fall Feast.” It was designed to bring people together as a community, to celebrate family values and enjoy a meal and some wholesome entertainment.

In the early days of the church, those who were called Christians gathered daily to fellowship together. I believe if that pattern were followed in our time, the church would be strengthened, and believers would be encouraged to stand boldly for their faith. In Acts, chapter two, Peter preached a message of repentance leading to salvation. We read this: “So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:41-42).

“Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (2:46-47).

I don’t expect that today we could meet every day, but we could certainly return to meeting weekly on the Lord’s Day. We have fallen into the habit of meeting only when it is convenient, ignoring the command to regular fellowship as stated in Hebrews. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—” (Hebrews 10:24).

For Him,

Pastor Jerry

21 Aug

Sweet Fellowship

Posted by sandhillspastor in Baptism, Blessings, Body of Believers, Faith, Family of God, Fellowship, Heaven.

Dear friends,
We are getting prepared for some very hot weather. We are very thankful the AC works. Back in the days of our youth, it wasn’t such a big deal. Summer involved a lot of outdoor time and for the most part we just kept working; especially when we were in the hayfield. I think it was partly a mental thing; we knew it was hot but we didn’t dwell on it. At home, we would stop in the middle of the afternoon for a break and sit in the shade of a haystack to get a cool drink and sometimes there would be watermelon that had been cooled in a stock tank fed by a flowing well. Watermelon has never tasted that good!

Sunday, we attended a special day in the life of a young man we know. He is just a youngster, but in recognition of his faith in the Lord Jesus, he followed the Lord’s example of water baptism. Morning worship was followed by a short drive to the river, where in the presence of many witnesses, this young man publicly proclaimed his faith in Christ, and was baptized in obedience to his Lord’s command. Congratulations, Paxton!

Following the baptism ceremony, everyone returned to the church for a delicious meal and sweet fellowship with the believers who make up that church. It was a snapshot of that day when all who believe will gather in the presence of our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We read in Revelation these words: Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteousness of the saints.)

Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God” (Revelation 19:5-9).

Will you be there? You will be if you know Jesus as your Savior.

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

24 Jul

Meetings that Matter

Posted by sandhillspastor in Blessings, Family of God, Fellowship, Gospel, Great Commission, Worship.

Dear friends,

July is passing quickly it seems. We have had some decent rainfall but can always use more. If the forecast for the next week holds true, we are in for some very hot temperatures. We will be glad for air-conditioning for sure. Our plan for the first few days this week is to go camping at Victoria Springs. If I had checked the forecast before reserving our spot, I might have changed my mind.

Update: I saw the doctor last week for a follow-up visit and he told me to see him in a year. He is pleased with the result, and positive the aneurism is no longer a concern. Praise the Lord!

I had an interesting conversation with a lady while in the clinic waiting room. She said she would be 102 years old in August. We shared some experiences we each have had, and some of them were quite similar. She and her late husband had been farmers during the mid-eighties and went through tough economic times just as my family had. She and her husband came to faith in Jesus during that time, as did Milrae and I. Our conversation ended when I was called back to see the doctor. Before I left the lady said, “We’ll meet again.” To which I replied, “yes we will.”  It is great to have that common bond in the Lord Jesus, and to know that as believers in Him we will all meet again in heaven.

We never know when a conversation will turn to things of a spiritual nature. We who are believers in the Lord Jesus are told to be lights in our surroundings and in our culture. The old saying is we are just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. We never get anyone saved, that is the Lord’s work, but we can show them the way. I was once told we only make the sales pitch; God seals the deal.

Jesus’ words: I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:47-51).

Blessings,

Pastor Jerry

29 Aug

Consistency

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Christian Living, Faith, Fellowship, Obedience, Worship.

Dear readers,
We have arrived at the end of another month. Next week is Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer. Football and volleyball seasons have begun, and schools are in session. We are still in need of rain, and continue to ask the Lord to provide. We ask, knowing that he is faithful to answer our prayers in his perfect timing.

Church attendance wanes in the summer. This is a proven fact, and there are many reasons given, but if we were truthful, I think we would have to admit to a degree of complacency. Scripture tells us the early church met daily for fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:4-7). The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

These are Jesus’ words concerning the faithful servant; “His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:23)!

Today, it seems hard for the people of God to meet together for one hour on Sunday morning. What follows here are some thoughts I copied down many years ago, and I believe they are worth repeating.

Reflections on being a faithful Christian: If your car starts one time out of three, do you consider it reliable? If the paper carrier skips the Monday and Thursday editions, would they be missed? If you fail to come to work two or three times a month, would your boss call you a faithful worker? If your refrigerator quits for a day now and then, do you excuse it and say, “But it works most of the time?” If your water heater greets you with cold water one or two mornings a week, would you understand? If you miss a couple of mortgage payments in a year’s time, would your banker say, “Oh, well, ten out of twelve isn’t bad”?

If we are not consistent in attending corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, can we call ourselves faithful Christians?

Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry

15 Nov

Meeting Together

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Calling, Christian Living, Family of God, Fellowship, Obedience, Service, Witness, Worship.

Dear friends,
We continue to swing back and forth between fall and winter. In the last week, we have seen sunshine and rain, warm and cold, windy and calm. There are few leaves remaining on the trees; yet in these extremes, there is still the beauty of God’s creation all around us.

Now and then, I will come across someone else’s observation about trends in the church today. Speaking to the issue of a lack of commitment in attending weekly church services, Thom Rainer asks the question, how did we get to the point that attending church on a once-a-month basis is normal behavior?

He gives five developments:
One, we fail to see that the local church is God’s plan A to do His mission on earth, and there is no plan B. It is clear in the New Testament from Acts 2 through Revelation 3 is all about the local church as the means of fulfilling His plan.

Two, we embrace the false notion that commitment to a local church is legalistic. If we used that argument with the family unit, we would say “Oh, your commitment to your family is too legalistic.”

Three, we have let culture dictate our schedules. If we would resist the temptation to put other activities ahead of church attendance, we would communicate to the culture what is and is not important.

Four, we have accepted strawman arguments about gathering at our local church. Have you heard either one of these arguments? “The church is not about the building, it’s the people.” Or, “The church is about sending, not attending.” The writer of Hebrews said, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another… (Hebrews 10:25).

Five, we see church as a place to be served rather than to serve. Have you ever heard church members argue about their preferences? Sure you have. Preferences about the style of music in worship. About the order of worship. About the time of services. The list goes on.

Let’s ask ourselves the following questions: Am I really connected to a local church? Am I attending without excuses? Am I looking to serve? Am I willing to give up the influence of the culture to be a growing disciple in my church? How committed am I to the local body? Let’s be part of the solution.

Food for thought,
Pastor Jerry

5 Oct

On Meeting Together

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Bible, Body of Believers, Discipleship, Fellowship, God's Word, Obedience, Truth, Uncategorized.

Dear friends,
We continue to observe the changing of the seasons. Every day, the leaves are changing colors and losing their grip on the branches of the trees. Harvest is well under way, and today I saw a flock of crows flying south. Some folks are talking of migrating south, also.

Sunday afternoon was the annual meeting of our Sandhills Church Network, an association of like-minded area churches. Some of the discussion centered on how our churches have been affected by the Covid-19 virus. Almost everyone is concerned with the number of church members who have elected to attend church by means of social media; Facebook Live, Zoom Meeting, and other live-streaming apps. The concern is that those who are getting in the habit of virtual church are missing out on the benefits of in-person corporate worship. As the old saying goes; “No man is an island.”

Christians need each other. We need the support and encouragement that only comes from in-person fellowship, where we can ask face-to-face, “How are you today? How can I pray for you? Will you pray for me?”

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing… And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:11-18).

I believe we can best flesh out these commands by meeting together in person.

In His love,
Pastor Jerry

14 Sep

Body of Believers

Posted by sandhillspastor in Body of Believers, Calling, Christian Living, Family of God, Fellowship, Obedience, Witness, Worship.

Dear friends,
Cooler weather came last week, along with ¾ inch of rain. The rain was especially welcome. A warming trend is forecast for this week. We are planning another camping adventure for next weekend, and on into the week. We will be visiting Alex for a couple of days, then stopping at Niobrara State Park for two nights, further plans will probably be made on the spur of the moment. We’ll see how it plays out.

As the summer wears on, we are still hearing conflicting ideas concerning the Covid-i9 virus. Masks versus no masks, social distancing, large groups are not okay, small groups are suspicious. Mobs of protestors and rioters are okay, but you can’t gather as a church, even in a small group. A vaccine is coming soon; no, wait, it may not be ready until the end of 2021. Only God knows when and how it will end.

Our responsibility as Christian is to be faithful witnesses and ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Lord, there is no other. His people have a mission. Every believer in Christ has a responsibility to share the good news. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy… Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:9-12).

In light of the pandemic, and even with some insisting we not gather for worship, we cannot stop gathering as the body of Christ. The church is most effective when all members are involved and working as a unit.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

Stay faithful my friends,
Pastor Jerry

7 Sep

On Being Neighbors

Posted by sandhillspastor in Best Life, Blessings, Christian Living, Contentment, Families, Fellowship.

Dear friends,
Well, the last official summer holiday is here. Labor Day weekend is always very busy here at beautiful Lake Ericson; this year was no exception. Many families were seen enjoying all the lake has to offer. The weather for the long weekend was perfect, with much sunshine and slightly cooler temps than expected. The mid-week forecast is for temperatures to resemble late fall, and comes with the promise of rain.

If we weren’t aware of how blessed we are living in this part of the world, we must certainly realize it in our current environment. As I look out of the window facing the lake and the street, I see a way of life that most of the world would die for. There are no rioters, just families and friends. No confrontations over politics or ideas, just a peaceful community of ordinary people. We stop in the street and ask about each other’s’ families, our health, our plans, just everyday conversations, and caring for each other. I believe this is how God intended for us to live; in harmony with our neighbors and acquaintances.

In the scriptures that follow, the Bible speaks to believers in Christ, but I believe if everyone lived by the principles stated, this world would be a nicer place. Obviously, not all will take this to heart, but what a difference might it make if a few more people would take note?

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load” (Galatians 6:2-5).

Something must be laid aside, if one is to be a burden-bearer and that is conceit, an attitude that breeds intolerance of error in others and causes one to think he is above failure. [The Bible Knowledge Commentary].

The apostle Paul wrote this: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Romans 12:3).

Remember the commandment; Love your neighbor as yourself! Good words from God’s Word,

In Him,
Pastor Jerry

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