Love. What is Love?

Love.    What is Love?    Dictionary says: Love is to hold dear, Cherish ,unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another, devoted ,admiration, strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.  Other words describing Love are, attachment ,fondness,  passion, appreciate, prize, treasure, value. My favorite of all is Charity! giving gifts, giving your time giving your all towards someone or something.  So now that I think everyone gets the idea of what Love is lets see what the Bible says.  Here we are most known verses John 3:16 For God so Loved the world that he gave his only begotten SON  that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

KJV, 1Cor 13:1-7

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

KJV, 1Cor 13:8-13

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

  So this is King James Version and charity is used for Love.

KJV, 1John 4:11-16

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

The greatest Love of all The Father sent the son to be the Savior of the world. Jesus gave us 2 commandments KJV, Matt 22:36-40

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

So after looking at this Our Father in heaven showed us the greatest Love by sending his son as a sacrifice for us and Jesus gave us 2 commandments telling us that if we  Love God first and Love our neighbor as our self I truly believe that if we get these things right everything would fall where it should be in our lives. I hope this was a good read - God bless you all! 

Pastor Kent Furch

To please God...

Galatians 1:10

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

We all like it when people like us.  We like hearing a mentor or parent say we did a good job.  We like people liking and sharing our social media posts to the point of addiction in some cases.

 But those are all temporary.  The person who seems to like you might secretly hold a grudge.  The person who said good job today might be disappointed in the job you do tomorrow.  And the person who liked your post probably won't remember it in five minutes.

 That is why the Bible says that we should seek God's approval and not man's.  People's opinions can be easily swayed.  God's love for us is eternal.  It never changes.  Our goal shouldn't be to please people.  It should be to please God.

Pastor Ryan Canaday

God Chose You

Focus Verses (1st Corinthians 1:26-31)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are you struggling with questions and feelings of doubt? Are there voices in the back of your mind telling you that you are not smart enough, strong enough, established enough to do the work you know deep down you have been called by the Holy Spirit to do?

I believe many, if not all of us, wrestle with these doubts from time to time if not daily, but take heart, the LORD, in His infinite wisdom, gave us His Word to reassure us that we indeed are called and chosen. 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a] When my eyes were first opened to these words, I was in a deep depression. I was drowning in debt and in chronic pain from my Cerebral Palsy. I was just about bed bound and lost everything I defined as success with my health, wealth, strength, and intellect. I felt like a complete and absolute failure. The night prior to my encounter with the Holy spirit, a team of prayer warriors had prayed over me that the strong hold and lies of the enemy would be broken. The next night, I continued business as usual, distracting myself with entertainment and medical marijuana, trying to just get to the point where I could go back to sleep and not feel the pain I was in. After wallowing for an hour or so, I decided to try and put a smile on my face and spend time with my family when I heard a voice gently say, “Why don't you spend some time with me instead?” Before I knew it, I was led to 1st Corinthians 1:26-31 and as I read the words, tears filled my eyes. 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. I was definitely not any of those I thought as I continued, 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. My eyes continued to stream with tears. As I read these words, it felt as if He was describing me: chosen by the God of the universe. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are. At this point I was weeping as I finished the rest of the verses 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a] I heard the same gentle voice that led me to this verse say with authority and love: I CHOSE YOU.

My brothers and sisters, if you are not important by the standards of this world God chose you. If you are foolish, weak, lowly, and despised by the world, God chose you. I urge you to remember this: whenever the enemy attacks you, remember that God chose you to nullify and shame the standards the enemy has set and to rejoice that Christ is everything that you are not and has become that for us.

Dakota Swinton

Tithing; what's it all about?

Your Tithe is it just the money you put in the plate as it passes by?

      We think of our tithe as the tenth of our income and putting that in the plate and that is part of our tithe. What else is part of the tithe? What could there be besides the tenth we put in the offering plate? What else should we be doing? You mean we need to do more than just put our check in the offering plate as it passes by?                                                                               

So lets take a look at what the word of God says about our needs being met. Philippians 4:19 says My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Matthew 28-33 talks about what shall we eat what shall we drink what shall we wear Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you. Luke 6:38 Give and it will be given to you, a good measure, pressed down shaken together ,and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you!!!

   Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house ,test me in this says the Lord God Almighty “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it!!! All the Silver and Gold is his Haggai 2:8. Psalm 50:10 says this Every animal of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills!!

  Proverbs 19:17 says He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 says this sow sparingly= reap sparingly. Sow generously = reap generously.  Please read the rest of this scripture. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 God will always take care of our needs!!! We cannot out give God and the good things we plant has a good harvest. Our lives are directly impacted by how we share our wealth with others. God gives back pressed down shaken and poured over we cannot hold onto all of what God can give us what we do with it is how it comes back to us. 

  Now back to that earlier question I had. We have seen in these scriptures how our lives get impacted on what we do we get in return.  So the question just the Money in the plate?

1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of us a gift use it to serve one another. This verse is saying time tithe time. Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifice is pleasing to God! Wow pleasing to God what we have share if you grow a garden all the surplus you can spare give. If you give your time God will give it back to you and then some. If you tithe on your garden produce God will give you a better crop. If you visit the fatherless and give your time he will give it back.

Anything you can think of is what God is bringing to your attention to tithe off of. Thanks for your time reading this may you be blessed from Gods Word he has given me. Tithing is for every aspect of our life help everyone out you can God bless you all have a great week!

Pastor Kent Furch

Worship IS More Than Music

What do you think of when you think of the word worship?  If you are like most people, the answer is something about singing songs in church and maybe praying during the service.  But is that all there is to worship?

According to Paul, the answer is no.  In Colossians 3:23 he wrote "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."  (New King James version)  That means whatever you do can be an act of worship! 

Obviously this doesn't apply to everything.  Anything that goes against the Bible can't be an act of worship toward God.  But going about your normal day bagging groceries, driving a bus, or working in an office can be an act of worship.  The key is to 1.) dedicate your time and what you are doing to God, 2.) do it in a way that glorifies Him, and 3.) remember that no matter what you do for a job or for fun, you are God's Ambassador, His representative to the world.

God At The Center

In our busy world, we are constantly on the go.  Even when we are sitting down at home and relaxing,  there is still stuff that pulls us in different directions.  Kids, making supper, chores, ect.  Even if none of that applies, there is still tv, sports, and our phones to demand our attention.

In our busy world, we need to remember to keep God at the center of everything we do.  Our lives, our relationships, our jobs, our marriages, all need to be centered around God.  According to Jesus, this is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37)

By centering our lives on God, it will help us to follow Him more closely.  It will help us to see others as He sees them, It will help us to share His love with others.  Most importantly, when we make God the center of our lives, it helps us to make everything we do an act of worship.

So how do we put God at the center?  Jesus said it best.  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’"  Ask God to help you put Him first in your life.  Ask Him to show you anything that is getting between you and God.  Ask Him to help you focus our life, your family, and everything you do around Him.

Idols Are Temporary

Everyone has things in their lives that demand a lot of their attention.  Some of them are bad, like drugs and alcohol.  Some are good, like family, school, and your favorite sports team.  Others can go either way, like Politics.  All of these are things that we tend to focus on, but some times we focus too much on them.

When that happens, they become an idol to us.  Often we may not even realize it.  What started out as talking about politics with a friend become the main thing you talk about, read about, and think about.  You want to get good grades so you study hard and then next thing you know you are spending most of your time studying.  You start working a few more hours a week to make a bit more money and before you know it you're at work more then you are at home.  When we start focusing on things more then God, they become an idol.

Again, some of the stuff mentioned aren't bad by themselves.  They only become idols when we focus on them more then God.  He is the one we should be focusing on the most.  When we do, it is a way we can worship God.  If we are focusing on other things more then Him, then we are worshiping those instead.

Next time you are praying, ask God to show you things in your life that are idols, or are becoming idols, and then ask Him to help you focus on Him more.  Idols are temporary, but God is forever.

Under Grace--Romans 6:14

In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites several laws to follow and rituals to perform in order to be forgiven of their sins.  These practices are the basis for the different rules and practices that modern day Jews practice, with the most important day of the year, Yom Kippur,  being a day of prayer and fasting in the hope that God forgives your sins and grants you salvation for the next year.

 In Islam, it is required that you practice the five pillars of Islam.  Not doing so if you are able to could result in being denied entrance into the afterlife.

 There are branches of Christianity that teach that, unless you perform certain actions, you will not go to Heaven.  These range from simply being baptized to going door to door witnessing to others.  Some are easy enough to do, such as being baptized as a baby, while others may take years to complete.

 All three of these are based on things found in the Old Testament and view salvation as something you have to earn, but it isn't!  The Bible says multiple times that there is nothing you can do to earn it!  The work has already been done!  Jesus' death on the cross cleared the path for us to enter into Heaven.  The only thing we have to do is ask God to forgive our sins and follow Jesus.

 There is nothing you can do to earn salvation.  Jesus already did all the work for you.  All you have to do is accept it. 

Compassion and Forgiveness--Ephesians 4:32

Every day we have opportunities to decide how we want to treat others.  We can choose to be compassionate or to be cruel.  We can choose kindness or indifference.  We can choose to forgive others or not to forgive them.

 What we choose in those situations depends on several things.  Upbringing, circumstance, and mood can all affect our choice, as can other factors.  But for followers of Christ, the Bible says how we should act.

 First, Ephesians 4:32 says we are to be kind and compassionate to others.  This can be tough sometimes but, if we ask, God can help us to do so.

 It also says that we are to forgive others.  Also something that can be easier said then done.  But it goes on to say that we are to forgive as Christ forgave us!  Jesus forgives no matter what we have done.  While we are unlikely to forgive everyone unconditionally,  we can at least try.

Seek God's Approval--Galatians 1:10

Most people tend to like it when others like them or the things they do.  Whether it is a spouse commenting on the good job you did cooking dinner, your boss mentioning the hard work you did at a board meeting, or a stranger walking by and commenting on how nice your garden looks, we usually hope others will like what we do and like us.

 But how often do we wonder about whether God approves of us and the things we do?  Sure there are some things that He clearly would approve.  Things such as loving others, helping people in need.  But what about things like how you interact with your friends?  What about the music or shows you watch? 

 This is especially true for pastors.  It can be tough to preach a sermon that may offend someone, but sometimes you have to.  Pastors especially need to remember Paul's words in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?"

 Seek God's approval first.  Please Him before worrying about pleasing others.    Make Him the focus of your life.  The approval of mortal man is temporary, but God's approval is forever.