What A Tremendous Honor

C. Hayden 10-24-17

We have been given a tremendous honor. An honor that so many overlook, choose to remain ignorant

regarding or just downright reject. An honor treasured by angels and one that men and women of God throughout

history gave all to be a part of. Unfortunately, it is an honor God gives that many continue to run from in favor of

living only for the things of this life. That honor is to be in the service of the King and fulfill the very purpose and

calling given to each one of us by God Himself.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

says, “

…

if anyone

is

in Christ,

he is

a new

creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

18

Now all things

are

of God, who has

reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

19

that is, that God

was in Christ reconciling the

world to Himself, not imputing

their trespasses to them, and

has committed to us the word

of reconciliation.

20

Now

then, we are ambassadors for

Christ…”

Every believer in

Christ has been called to build

bridges between the Creator

of the universe and His

creation – mankind. God’s

Word tells us that we are to be

His ambassadors, His hands

and His feet so that a lost

world can find their way out of

darkness and into our Father’s

wonderful light. Imagine

yourself lost in an underground

cave where no light exists and

the rays of the sun cannot

breach. A place where the

darkness is so prevalent and so

permeates everything so that you could never find your way out – permanently trapped with no hope of

discovering the surface again. That is where those without Christ find themselves. Some realize they are lost not

knowing how to exit this underground prison and live in despair. Others have come to embrace the darkness and

live in ignorance of the chains they bear. Regardless, God has given you the honor to go into this dark world with

the light of the Gospel of Christ to rescue those perishing, bringing them to the surface and into His brilliant glory.

His Word is your Lamp; His Spirit is your fuel that keeps the lamp burning. Some may follow us to the surface and

some may reject our invitation and remain in the dark. Regardless of the choice others make, you have been given

a tremendous honor, an honor that God chose you to fulfill (

John 15:16

). And what a tremendous honor it is! Don’t

run from the Calling God places before you, rejoice in it!

Be blessed even more!!

Pastor Chris

God Has Won, In Short Order

C. Hayden 10-10-17

It seems like every time we turn around, a tragedy appears all over the news outlets. Whether it is nature

ravaging whole communities as seen with serial hurricanes, fires igniting and consuming neighborhoods out west

or terror induced violence like the recent shooting in Las Vegas, we are constantly bombarded with an uneasy

feeling that our lives are under siege. Add on to these events our national disunity over differing political and

moral values and the ongoing tension with other nuclear and near nuclear armed nations such as North Korea and

Iran, it is no wonder that many feel the planet is on fire and doomsday date setters exist a plenty.

We live in a nation that is in real turmoil and Matthew 24 is becoming more and more relevant, even for

those seemingly untouched directly by these events. In the book of 1

st

Peter, chapter 5:8-9 we read, “

Be sober, be

vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9

Resist

him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Scripture is clear that we have an adversary who wants to destroy the lives of people. Satan does this primarily

through deception. Deception leading to our disunity as a people, our disjointed attempts to live in harmony with

others, our dysfunctional relationship as a human community and the world’s dislocated relationship with the God

of the Bible. But there is “Good News.” Jesus told us that He has come that we might have life and to have that life

more abundantly (John 10:10) and that we are not to fear because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He

came to bring His creation back from the brink and He uses us to deliver that message to the world.

Here is some more good news. He is going to lock up the enemy of our souls, the devil, in short order.

Revelation 20:2-3 says this, “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is

the

Devil and Satan, and bound

him for a thousand years;

3

and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that

he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.” Now it does say that God will loose

the devil at the end of the millennium for a short time (to fulfill God’s purpose), but will then cast Satan away

forever in the Lake of Fire. We will no longer have to experience the torment of the deceiver any longer. This is

God’s promise and we can take His Word to the bank! Be encouraged, we win because God has already won! Joy

comes in the morning!

Be blessed even more!!

Pastor Chris