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Dear Church Family,
The end of the month of March is the beginning of what is commonly referred to as Holy Week, which begins on March 29, Palm Sunday. This is a very exciting and troublesome time in the life of all Christians who seriously ponder Jesus' trek to Jerusalem, where he suffered and died for the sins of humanity. Palm Sunday is about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem amidst many shouts of praise and adoration, and this by throngs of people who thought Jesus on the verge of bringing victory over their enemies. But much disappointment dampened their enthusiasm as the week progressed because Jesus was arrested, beaten, and crucified. What kind of king with divine powers would be powerless in the face of torture and execution? If Jesus were really the Messiah – the long awaited, anointed Savior – wouldn't He have the power to squash the enemies of God underneath His feet? But despite the many prophecies forth telling the suffering of Jesus, people didn't understand. Nor did they understand when Jesus was raised from the grave! So, the month of March concludes with the beginning of Holy Week – or we might say – the end is the beginning. This is the way Jesus explained it to his closest companions: "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." (Luke 18:31-33) Have any of you ever experienced what is meant by the words the end is the beginning? Actually, I know that many of you understand exactly what this means. You tell stories of when the world came crashing in upon you; when you lost everything except for faith in God. And for some of you, it even seemed, initially, as though you also lost your faith in the Lord. It was a terrible time in your life, and a very dark and lonely journey ensued. But very amazingly, when it seemed like everything was lost and that you were at the end of your rope, God slowly and gently started building a new life and started opening new doors for you! With Jesus, the end was the beginning. His suffering and death were of great consequence to him, but it opened up new doors of hope and possibility for all who trust in Him, because after the death of Jesus came His resurrection. For some of you reading this, it might feel like you are truly at the end of everything and that there is no way to turn. But with God, the end can actually be the beginning. Jesus miraculously gives new life and abundant life to those who put their faith in Him. By God's grace, we can have that new life. No matter what the end of the road is like for you, may there be new hope and new life through the presence of Jesus Christ. Sincerely in Christ's love, Pastor Mark Dear Church Family,
In a recent letter I made the exact emphasis above, but I feel impressed to make this emphasis once again. And the emphasis is very important because with every turn in life, with every opening of a newspaper, with every news broadcast on the television, with every ... there is always something that catches our attention; something that is falling apart. Something that is a description of violence, hatred and the reality of death. It is easy for even a Christian to become overwhelmed, discouraged and depressed. I know many of you are struggling right now for many different reasons. But I remind you of the good news as we find it in the Person of Jesus Christ and in the Scriptures. God has the power and ability to make everything new. Some of you reading this are feeling discouraged about the circumstances in your life, or in the relationships in your family. Please take a minute to pray. Focus on what the Bible says (NOT necessarily what you feel). The Bible tells us that God makes everything new. Sometimes this is because God takes all of the mess and the problems, and orchestrates these things into something that truly brings honor to His name. It is so very important for us to live in an attitude of hopefulness because Jesus is alive and nothing is impossible with God. With this good news, it is very important for us to believe that God can do great things in one another. The Bible says that some people quit meeting with fellow Christians and discontinue in fellowship. I can assure you that this is completely contrary to the teaching of the Word of God. Christians are imperfect people who have problems, but they need one another and God instructs us to build up one another with encouragement ... and to meet together. And God tells us to forgive one another just as God in Jesus Christ has forgiven us. One of the most powerful ways that God makes everything new is through the forgiveness and encouragement offered by one Christian to another, and by the unconditional love that Christians extend to those who have not even come yet to believe in Jesus Christ. Do not listen to the enemy's lie that you are worthless and that everything is falling apart, or that someone else is worthless and not redeemable. Instead, listen to the truth of God's Word that Jesus Christ paid the price for sins and that He can weave everything together to bring honor to God, AND this while directing people's hearts to trust in Him. If it were not for this good news then I would feel hopeless and so would you. But I am praying and believing that God will do mighty and awesome things through His people in this new year. I am optimistic that nothing will stop the advancement of the good news that there is always hope in Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you that there are people who love you; people who truly trust in God and who want to be alongside you through whatever you're dealing with. We do not stand just individually before the Lord; we stand with one another. And together we pray in Jesus' name for God to give healing, hope, encouragement and salvation. We pray - as God's Word says - that all things will work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Do you believe this for yourself? And do you believe this for others? May God gently and continually make everything new with the passing of every day in this new year. Sincerely in Christ's love, Pastor Mark Dear Church Family,
We seldom ponder the significance and transcendence of the incarnation. The incarnation is the theological term to describe God in human flesh. It says in the Gospel of John chapter 1 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word is Jesus Christ. The Word is God. The incarnation is the teaching of the Scriptures that Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, came in human flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. This is stunning, mind-boggling, and truly the essence of what should motivate the followers of Jesus Christ to become "flesh" for others. Have you ever thought about this in terms of the principle and philosophy that governs your interactions with other people? God stooped so low as to become a man and then much lower to take the form of a slave who washes the feet of His friends. But then Philippians chapter 2 says that Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. This is what Almighty God did in becoming a man: He humbled Himself to the point of death. Ideally and essentially this is what true Christians spend their lives trying to achieve and live for - the same, Christ-like humility for the sake of the glory of God. They humble themselves for the sake of serving others and sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, and all of these things with the goal of worshipping God and illustrating Jesus Christ and the glory of God in this world. Christians follow in the footsteps of Jesus by laying down their lives and self-interests for the sake of serving others. When they fail to do this, they repent and confess their sins, and ask God for further sanctification so that they will represent what it means that He lay down His life for us. This is what Christmas is truly and really all about, the incarnation. God becoming a man and surrendering Himself to curses and abuse, and all of these for the sake of being obedient to God's will and to demonstrate His love for us. How can each one of us focus on following in His footsteps in the Christmas season and beyond? For some of you it means being humble and broken and willing to confess your sins ... admitting that you've been selfish instead of self-sacrificing. If done truly from your heart and by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, this is an expression of humility that is honoring to God. And it is an expression of humility that is essential if one lives the life of humble willingness to serve others. Or maybe it means that you finally start to serve the people in your immediate sphere of influence, and I'm referring to the people in your very own family. Some of you men who call yourselves Christians need to listen to your spouse's earnest cry that the two of you go to marriage counseling. Over the years I've heard church-going men say that they would die before they go to marriage counseling. This is a contradiction that has to be remedied. For those of us who are truly Christians, we will do anything and everything necessary to serve and honor the interests of our primary relationships, and this includes spouse and children first and foremost. Without this love and humility demonstrated in our primary relationships we will be ineffective (and hypocritical) witnesses to people in the world. I've had to learn a lot about this over the years, but I continue on a personal level to try to love my wife and children, and to apologize when necessary, and to do anything and everything necessary to serve them. This is where living the Christian life starts: at home. Don't let the glitter and shine and glow and excitement of Christmas be something that is just on the surface level. Let the teaching of what God did in Jesus Christ permeate everything that you do, so that you are sharing and giving to the poor and the needy, and certainly to those in your immediate sphere of influence. And let us ponder the magnificence and self-sacrificing love of God, that He would submit Himself to the atrocities of human neglect and abuse for the sake of going all the way to the cross to die for sins. Let us praise Him and let us follow Him for His names sake. In doing so, this will be a wonderful Christmas season, and a Christmas season that makes possible our church family and personal families witnessing to what Christmas is all about. As a fellow-follower of Jesus Christ who is seeking to learn more about putting God's love into practice, Pastor Mark Dear Church Family,
Of all God’s gifts, one the greatest is the gift of Christian friendship. We are blessed to be Christians, and to be a part of God’s Family. But how should Christians relate to one another? The Bible says to ENCOURAGE one another, and to build each other up. Is your posture towards other Christians that of encouragement, or do you become impatient and critical? Wouldn’t it be nice if all Christians were surfing on the cutting edge of God’s love, joy and peace? But that isn’t the case. Many wonderful, godly, Christian persons are struggling. Many (most) are facing some type of problem, disappointment and obstacle. Encourage one another; this is God’s mandate! “Breath” COURAGE into the lives of fellow-Christians by speaking positive, sincere and hope-filled words. Forgive people before they ever ask you for forgiveness, and even if they never ask you. Be slow to anger and quick to hear. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted and forgiving of one another JUST AS God, in Christ, has forgiven you. If you can’t be gracious and forgiving of fellow-Christians, then you do not know the only God of the Universe, who is merciful, and who we worship, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Flowing from the heart of God is love, mercy, grace, encouragement, blessing and hope … true Christians exude the same to others, and certainly to their fellow-imperfect-Christians. In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to forgive us AS we forgive those who sin against us, right? All of the above recommendations are from the Bible, and there are many other instructions in the Bible explaining the way Christians should treat one another. Are you breathing (en)COURAGE into the hearts and minds of fellow-Christians, or are you withholding your compliments and blessings from others? Do your words, demeanor and actions build confidence into the lives of others? Do you believe in others (because of what God can do) even when others are feeling defeated? Follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ who came to serve, and not to be served. Focus on encouraging others. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Mark Dear Church Family,
Are you putting your problems against the backdrop of God’s mighty power and against the backdrop of God’s love for you? Or are you feeling overwhelmed by your life-situation so that you are wondering if God is really there? All of us need more faith in God; more confidence in the Holy Spirit, that no matter what happens, God loves us. But every single person knows what it is like for fear to be greater than faith. It says in the Bible, “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.” Isn’t this the way it often is? “Without warning …”. The sun is shining one day, then the next day there is the storm of sickness, family problems, financial difficulties … The waves of fear and doubt can overwhelm us and make us feel like we are drowning. Maybe you’re someone who is has it all together (?)… but I know lots of people who are barely surviving. For those who need help, Jesus says: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” It then says, “Then (Jesus) got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” The storms of life are inevitable, but God’s love for us is greater than any storm. All things will work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28), and we have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Will more storms come? Definitely. But, through Jesus Christ, we are sealed in a right-relationship with God and have confidence that our sins are forgiven. We will be with the Lord forever. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Sincerely in Christ’s love, Pastor Mark |
Sterry Memorial Church
Address: 28531 Hwy 18, PO Box 655 Parma, ID 83660 Phone: (208) 722-6201 Email: office@sterrymemorial.org |
Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday - Closed |
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