ark

One Single Rainbow

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:12‭-‬13 ESV

This week a group from our church made a trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. It was interesting how they came back with wonderful stories of their time together and just a little bit about the Ark itself. I thought that fitting as the idea of finding the Ark of Noah has been embedded in the imagination of countless generations of both Christian and non-Christians alike. But even if one day someone finds the actual wooden structure of the ark it really wouldn’t change a thing. Believers would still believe and unbelievers would still be doubting.

You might think that a bit harsh but consider that God did leave us a sign of His faithfulness in the clouds. It is called a rainbow. Everyone over the age of five has seen at least one rainbow in the sky in their lifetime and few remember who put it there. God left us this beautiful yet fleeting sign of His eternal love and kindness. How many will see it and believe? But it is still a great experience to go take a trip to the Ark encounter for yourself. You won’t be sorry ( and be sure to check out the nearby Creation museum.) It is a trip worth taking, but far less spectacular than one single rainbow!

How Did Noah Build The Ark?

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Genesis 6:8

For those who have not made it to see the Ark Encounter it may be difficult to imagine not only the size, but also the tremendous amount of details involved in the ark. God’s instructions were clear on the dimensions and to make a window and a door. The rest of the thousands of decisions as to exactly how to build the ark were left up to Noah. How did he do it? God doesn’t tell us much but we know one thing about Noah: He found grace in the eyes of the Lord!

In the same way Jesus has given us His clear commandment: Love one another:

1526304765031_image.jpg

He wasn’t specific on the details of our obedience to this important mission. He is trusting us to fill in the blanks each and every day with the exciting, challenging and sometimes downright complicated outworking of that obwdience.

If you are struggling at times like I am with learning to love don’t be discouraged. There is one wonderful reason one reason to not give up and walk away: Grace!  By God’s grace we can figure it out just like Noah. It is a gigantic task but by grace, the love of Christ in us is up to the task!

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

1526296501929_image.jpg

 

The days of Noah

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. Luke 17:26

Last week we traveled down to Williamstown Kentucky to celebrate our 45th anniversary and to see the Ark Encounter. It was a pretty amazing experience and I wish we had planned an extra day because there was so much to see.

Thinking back O think I came away with a new a greater sense pf the starkness of Noah’s faith. He believed and as a result persisted in building the ark. To put the enormity of the task in perspective consider that this replica built by Answers in Genesis ministries is the largest wood framed structure in the world. Noah built this without power equipment, without modern engineering or any outside support. He simply moved by faith in the face of rejection and with his sons became the pioneers of a new world!
Just as in Noah’s day the hard part is not just believing God’s message but in the demand for radical change that faith requires.