Christian Bible Church

Arise!

1/8/2017

You can tell a new year has begun by the lack of parking spaces at your local gym. Health and fitness usually tops the list of New Year’s resolutions and statistics tell us that half of those people will not succeed. Perhaps resolutions are not what you need; maybe you need a New Year’s revolution. In Luke chapter 15 there is the parable of the Prodigal Son. A man who grew tired of the comfort and safety his father’s house provided decided to take his inheritance early and venture off into the world. For a time, he asked himself why he hadn’t done this sooner. In Luke chapter 15 there is the parable of the Prodigal Son.

This new life of constant pleasure and excitement was certainly favored over the monotony of daily life at home. In time however, as with all things, the novelty wore off and he had nothing left of his inheritance. Pride and shame were his new best friends and he soon found himself eating out of the same trough as the pigs he was employed to feed. How could he go home to a father he had disappointed so immensely? Hunger is a powerful motivator, and soon no amount of pride or shame could keep him from at least trying. He thought…

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Luke 15: 18-19)

They at least had plenty of food to eat. To his amazement, as he approached his father’s house, he could see a man running towards him. Feeling unworthy to be called a son any longer, he could not comprehend how his father could give him such a warm homecoming. There was a feast and a party for son who was lost and now had been found.
If you can identify with the lost son and have taken your spiritual inheritance into the world only to waste it with riotous living, if you are tired of eating the spiritual pig slop the world has to offer, and if you feel too much pride or shame to think you could ever come home, make 2017 the year that you arise! The Lord loves you as much today as he did the day he died for you. Your shame is self-inflicted and the opportunity to return home is present every moment. He is watching and waiting for you to return.

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10)

Make 2017 a year of spiritual revolution. Arise!

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Looking for an "Open Door"

9/15/2016

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Colossians 4:2-3 reminds us of our duty as Christians- “that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ..That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” Jesus came here to take the punishment and die for ALL sin. He wants every single person to be in Christ and it is our call to action to get out there and spread the Word. He opens doors all around us everyday at the grocery store, at social functions, at the gas station...even at Church. Are you awake enough to recognize them, or do you choose to ignore them? Church attendance is not just about personal growth, it is an encouragement to the Pastor and the brothers and sisters that surround us. The more we are all encouraged and supported, the more we have to share with those who need it most! With this in mind, keep an eye out for that “door of utterance” being opened with someone in your life who is not yet saved and is ready for you to share the gift of salvation.

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What do YOU think of you?

7/18/2015

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Too often we are concerned with what others think of us but at the end of the day, what’s most important is that you can look yourself in the mirror with confidence, purpose and joy. I am sure you are familiar with the phrase- Birds of a feather, flock together. In John (5:1-9), we can read about a man waiting by the pool in Bethesda. He was there with a group of people who all were suffering from various ailments- all of them waiting for a rare miraculous event to ‘trouble’ the water and allow one lucky one to be healed. Jesus saw this specific man who was 38 years old, realizing he would never be able to make it to the pool on his own, he asked him, “Wilt thou be made whole?”. This man accepted the gift that Jesus was offering to him- “And immediately this man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked”. He was healed, he was SAVED! Had this man continued to wait on the world to help him and not responded to God’s call, he would have stayed in the same awful state he was in. You should ask yourself, what are YOU waiting for to cleanse your condition? God is waiting on YOU to respond to his call for a call to action. Too often, people use their infirmities as an excuse to remain complacent or a crutch for sympathy; an excuse to not take up their bed. God is waiting! Answer his call!

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Patience Wins the Race

6/4/2015

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There are many references to patience in the Bible- reminding us that God has a plan for us and it is imperative to trust in his timing. Patience is so important when we feel we didn’t get something that we were supposed to get, or perhaps, for a trial that we were presented with. You find yourself asking, why me? Or.. why NOT me? In James, we are reminded that grace only responds to faith. “The trying of your faith, worketh patience” (James 1:4). The book of Hebrews shows us that we need patience to run the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). There is always a plan, God’s plan. Consider Moses- would he have been trusted by the Israelites to lead them out of Egypt before he spent 40 years in the desert? Moses had spent his life up to that point being pampered and cared for in the palace. He couldn’t lead until he gained the necessary experience. We need to learn to endure sometimes uncomfortable things in order to be able to honor God. As Jesus endured the cross for you (Hebrews 12:2), we too need to endure. “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). As Christians, we need to keep our eye on the prize and our focus on the race as we will be rewarded in the most wonderful way! “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).

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In Your Heart

5/27/2015

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Do you remember the words to a song after the 1st time you hear it? Of course not! So how can we expect to recall and have the Word of God help us after reading or hearing it only a few times? When your baby cries and you sing a lullaby, you don’t even have to think, the song is instinctual. It is in your heart. The same should be for the Word. You must be able to rely on the Word to fix and heal you… trust, trust, TRUST that it will work. You cannot expect to become better by working from the outside in. You must constantly feed yourself with the Word so that it can nourish you, become instinctual, and project out.

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The Cookie Cutter Christian

5/4/2015

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As Christians, our sights should be always set on Jesus and his example. Too often, we are caught up in comparing ourselves with other Christians, too caught up in judging each other- “ but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise”(2 Cor 10:12). You may find your inner dialogue saying something like “ Oh, I hope to be more like Joe… but at least I’m not like Sue!”. It’s Christians that come against other Christians. Looking to the book of Amos (7:10-15) we can see an example of someone who was newly called by God (Amos) but was met with resistance and threats by a well-established yet insecure Christian (Amaziah). It is important to have confidence and faith in what God calls you to do. Likewise, it is equally important to not impede someone else’s walk. “But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk” (1 Cor 7:17).

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Arise!

Looking for an "Open Door"

What do YOU think of you?

Patience Wins the Race

In Your Heart

The Cookie Cutter Christian

CBC

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