Pastor's Message - July 2014

Dear Friends,

Over the last several years I have come to realize that the more I learn about Scripture, the more I do not know, and it seems to be like a dog chasing its tail, the dog never gets ahold of it. I am realizing the terminology, "life-long learning."

I am more aware now than ever that words are important. The words we say and also the words we read.  Especially the words in Scripture. I sometimes ponder a word in a sentence from a verse of Scripture for days. I hope that is part of the learning process and I also hope that it benefits you too. 

These past couple of years I have been teaching at the Lane Bible College at Transfer, PA.  Not a prestigious place, not many students there, but it is a great place of higher learning.  In fact, the reason I have been teaching is so I will stretch my learning & understanding of the Scripture.  Again, I hope that this is beneficial for all of you.

I say that to say this; no matter how old we get, no matter how mature, there is always still more to learn. For example, we are learning more and more about several aspects of building this new facility. Many of those things we are able to share with you, now that we are in the thick of things and we’ve learned things we did not know before.  There have been costs, for example, that were unknown in the beginning of the project such as the building permit, water and electrical entrances. Although we knew those things were needed, there was no cost assigned to them until we actually had to purchase them. We learned that there are government regulations that are, at times, making these kinds of projects much more difficult and more and more of  these regulations are being added it seems almost weekly, and in turn there is generally a cost attached to the regulations.

I am learning through this process, that it’s easy to look back and think that maybe we should have not ever started the project. It’s too hard and there are too many obstacles. That would obviously play right into Satan’s hand, he likes to cause us to doubt. By the way, this is where the word faith would come in, and probably the words commitment, consecration, sanctification and many more words that you and I could name. 

As I am writing this article for this newsletter something occurred to me that I need to share with you. It occurred to me on this day, 25 June 2014 at about 1:30PM. 

I have been, or at least been having the perception of feeling the weight of ministry, the weight of this building project, the weight of being the one to be the cheerleader, so to speak, for this project, feeling the weight of seeing us raise the money to pay for this facility, and on and on the list goes. 

Notice I used the word perception. Perception is, according to Merriam Webster: 1) the way you think about or understand someone or something, 2) the ability to understand or notice something easily, 3) the way that you notice or understand something using one of your senses.

I am referring to definition number 1) the way you think about or understand someone or something. The way we think about or understand someone or something doesn’t necessarily make it reality.  We can perceive a particular situation or person and have those thoughts in our minds and they may not be reality. What I am saying is that even though I perceive the weight of the world sometimes, the truth is God is carrying the weight of the world and it is our responsibility to have faith in him, trust him, be consecrated to Him, allow His Spirit to sanctify us and let Him carry the weight of the world on His shoulders. Amen? 

Even as I am thinking about what looks to be obstacles, and the perceived uphill journey for our congregation in the next several years with regard to the new facility, there are other things that I am reminded of that are reality and that are of far greater concern.  PEOPLE!!  And their lives. There are some, as we speak, June 25, 2014 @ 5:04PM that are dealing with difficulties of this life and are living daily with great discouragement and other great obstacles that they are trying to overcome.  The list goes on and on.  I am literally heart sick about those whose spiritual lives are tittering on the brink of falling away from God.  And they are in our midst!  In fact, Judy & I spend sleepless nights with concern.  There are some in our midst that need our fervent prayers of intercession because of broken relationships and marital break-ups, sickness and life-threatening illnesses.  The list can go on and on, just look at our prayer sheet in the bulletin. There are some that think God has let them down, there are some that think that God is not concerned about them, and there are some that are thinking God should deliver them from the difficult circumstances.

Also, in spite of all those circumstances that I just mentioned, it concerns me greatly that we do need to carry out the mission that God has placed on our hearts and that we need to be consecrated toward that end, for the Kingdom. Our purpose it to IMPACT PEOPLE FOR CHRIST!

When the Israelites were preparing to cross over into the Promised Land, Joshua said, “…..to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5 ESV). The word consecrate means to be set apart. In other words God was telling the Israelites, “Set yourselves apart for me, love me with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.” I never realized this until just now, before God was willing to do wonders among them, they needed to be set apart. What does that tell us about how God works through us? It tells us that we need to be set apart for His use, to be His, completely, to be sold out to a love relationship with Him. That means that His will is our purpose for the life that we live
here on earth. No sacrifice is too great for us because no sacrifice was too great for Him, He sacrificed His One and only Son. It means that whatever sacrifice God asks or better yet, commands us to make in our lives, we will do it for Him and the work of the Kingdom.

Here is my question, “Are we indeed consecrated to God?” Are we, without a doubt, set apart for God?  Not just for building a building, although that is certainly important now in the life of our congregation, but to be set apart to God so we can pray for one another, minister to one another and to be focused on the love that God has for us, which is unconditional and to express that love to those who do not know God’s love for them so we can introduce them to Jesus.

I hope and pray that we will continue on our journey together in unity and love, and that building the new facility will only enhance and encourage the work that we are doing . “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."  (Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV)

As I have given you a glimpse of what goes through my mind and how God is speaking to me at this particular time with respect to how words are important, please read the Scripture with this thought in mind.

God bless you all as we labor on.
Pastor Bruce