Faith

Nothing But the Blood

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 NLT

I still remember the “I Found It” campaign, launched by Campus Crusade back in 1976. Billboards, bumper stickers and even lapel pins sported that phrase. The intent was to stir conversations, that would give Christians the opportunity to share the message of Christ. It was an interesting approach, but its message that, before being saved, we were searching for Christ and had somehow found Him, doesn’t line up well with the Bible. The entire Gospel is rather about Jesus coming as a shepherd searching for His lost sheep. He didn’t come because we were looking for Him, but because He was looking for us. The Good News of salvation is that the Holy Son of God, gave Himself as an innocent sacrifice for people like us, who had rejected Him. On the cross, as His blood poured down its timbers and touched the ground, a miracle occurred, a door opened wide, and a love story was told. Through the blood of Jesus, God reached out and claimed us as His own. “How can I be included?” you might ask. The answer is that, if God can redeem a failure like Peter, who had denied Him at His trial, a hater of Christians like Paul, and a doubter like Thomas, who demanded to put His hands on the nail prints before He would believe, then He can redeem you and me! In fact, I can’t find a thing, until He finds me first, not because of what I have done but through “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!” Last Sunday, we introduced that hymn into our growing songbook at the nursing home. I hope you will enjoy listening to our simple rendition of this classic, coupled with the more contemporary Maranatha song, “White as Snow.” Have a blessed day everyone!

What Exactly is Lent?

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They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount u with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV

So, you might ask, “What exactly is Lent? Great question! Well, in general, Lent is the time from Ash Wednesday until either the Wednesday before Easter, Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday depending on what tradition you follow. You also might wonder why, since there is no record of anyone in the Bible observing this 40-day period, why should we? For starters, it is never a bad idea to set aside special times for seeking God’s will and purpose. We call it, “Waiting on the Lord” and waiting comes with God’s promise of strength and renewal. Some people may choose to fast certain foods or commit to special acts of service during these weeks. However, you choose to honor the season, the most important thing of all is to focus on Jesus. For me personally it brings me back to the excitement of my first months of faith in Jesus (Which just happened to be on Easter Sunday!)

During this Lenten season we should come each morning with an open-heart and ask Jesus for a brand-new insight into His word and for His will for our day. During these weeks it is okay to slow down and live more quietly so that we can hear what God is saying. Just as the song tells us that Jesus lay silently in the grave, until Easter, we can practice a bit of that silence as with faith we joyfully look forward to that coming day. My prayer is that during these weeks ahead we may see with fresh eyes the Lord Jesus and fall in love with Him again as we remember His Last Supper, His Cross, His empty grave, and most of all our Risen Lord!

“An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.”
John Wesley

Free Nursing Home Book

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

As a resource for our volunteers, I decided to make the e-Book version of “Nursing Home Ministry the Heart of Jesus Christ” available for free this weekend. Though the story began thirty-five years ago, the calling and needs remain unchanged. When we think of the call of Jesus to go into all the world, most of us imagine foreign fields, refugee camps or feeding the homeless. But right in our communities lies a field almost as foreign as the farthest corners of the earth. Just down the street there are people who are separated from the everyday world we live in. Statistics tell us that 65% of those in long-term-care will not receive a single visit from a friend or family member throughout an entire year. If you have ever wondered, what you could do or how you might be able to get started: I offer some simple steps and guidelines to help you along your journey. You might say, “That’s just not my ministry.” and you might be entirely correct. But then think of John as He stood at the cross. He was not only one of the twelve apostles, called to be the foundation of the church, but also five books of the New Testament bear His name. He did go into all the world, but at the cross when Jesus saw Him standing next to Mary, He asked one more thing of Him: “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. So, remember that some of our mothers, and fathers and sisters and brothers are living at those nursing homes. Let’s make the time to stop and see them, hold their hand, say a prayer, bring a gift, give a kiss and then take them into the home of our hearts.