Jesus is my treasure.
Jesus is my life.
Jesus is my Savior.
Jesus is always right.
Jesus is mighty.
Jesus is strong.
Jesus is compassion.
All others are wrong.
Cling tightly to him;
trusting in his name.
Cling tightly to Jesus,
and your life won’t be the same.
“Why” you might say
is Jesus so great,
because faith in him
thwarts death as my fate.
And so Jesus is my treasure
and Jesus is the One,
as I trust in his name
I will never be undone.
The Pastor -|—
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. [Psalm 27:4]
Watch the news
Peruse social media
Read the paper…
…and it doesn’t take long to get depressed or angry or worried or concerned about the direction of our nation and society. Culture seems to plummeting faster and faster into the abyss. Satan seems to be setting up his throne for a tyrannical reign.
And then there are those stories of the government reaching farther and farther into the religious liberty camp in order to destroy it. Can the government really legislate what the church teaches? It sure seems like they are trying. Being a Christian is getting more and more uncomfortable in this world.
But thankfully this world is not home.
For the Christian, your focus should not be on worldly comforts but rather on the longing that the psalmist talks about:
Dwelling in the house of the Lord
Gazing upon his beauty
Inquiring in his holy temple.
I reflect on these and suddenly I feel at ease. I feel excited and hopeful. I feel empowered and encouraged as I remember that even though this world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, Jesus still reigns.
For…
…through faith in Jesus Christ the Christian can have the hope of dwelling in God’s house, gazing upon his beauty and inquiring in his temple. And when you reflect on this and ask God for the faith to receive this promise, then and only then, can you put everything in perspective. For you see, it’s not about putting our faith in our leaders to save us and provide for us but rather praising and worshiping God for already saving us and providing for us. And therefore it’s our job and joy to share this Good News with the world in order to give others hope, because it doesn’t take long to see that one can not put their hope in this world.
Don’t long for things and people of this world, but rather long for God.
Don’t worry and get depressed, but rather long for God.
Don’t get scared or concerned about what the world can do to you, but rather long for God.
Ask and seek
Dwell
Gaze
Inquire
And…
…praise God always and forever.
The Pastor -|—
As the rain drops fall upon my head,
that are way too many to count,
I am quickly chased inside,
but maybe I need to stay out instead.
For as the countless drops of rain,
fall upon the ground,
I remember Your varied blessings,
that bring healing to my pain.
For the sting of death is beaten away,
the joy of life is given,
and even though Satan still roams free,
I can live with hope today.
For the ultimate blessing is Jesus my Lord,
who crowns me with glory and honor,
and therefore I rest assured with peace and joy,
that I am set free from Satan’s hordes.
And so I listen to the falling drops of rain,
as I hold tightly to Your promises,
and remember with all joy and peace,
that Jesus will forever and always reign.
The Pastor -|—
I stand.
I stand condemned under the weigh of my sin,
with no logical defense to make.
I stand condemned as a violator of Your holy law,
oh God.
I stand condemned.
I stand condemned as glory-stealing,
honor-withholding sinner.
I stand condemned as an non trusting kingdom builder,
oh God.
I stand condemned.
And as I stand condemned I see my Savior,
my Lord,
my advocate,
my Jesus.
Jesus stands with me.
Jesus intercedes for me.
Jesus takes the judgment for me.
Jesus dies for me.
And…
Jesus rises for me.
I now, through faith, I stand liberated,
I stand free,
I stand hopeful,
I stand forgiven.
For Jesus, my Lord, took the weight of my sin
and made my defense before You,
oh God.
And now I no longer stand,
rather,
I fall on my face to worship You,
oh God.
I fall on my face to honor You,
oh God.
I fall on my face to praise You,
oh God…
as I stand on Your promises.
The Pastor -|—
We turn our eyes away from God,
and Satan laughs.
We fight among ourselves,
and Satan laughs.
We seek our own agendas,
and Satan laughs.
We put our needs before other’s,
and Satan laughs.
We build earthly kingdoms,
and Satan laughs.
We worry,
and Satan laughs.
We do anything and everything but seek the glory of God,
and Satan laughs.
But…
Let’s look to God,
let’s seek reconciliation,
let’s seek God’s will,
let’s humble ourselves,
let’s seek to advance God’s kingdom,
let’s trust God.
Let’s do anything and everything we can to bring glory to God’s holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let’s laugh at Satan and tell him to go to hell. Our Lord, Jesus, reigns.
Praise be to God!
The Pastor -|—
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [Acts 2:42, ESV]
And isn’t this what the church should be about:
Diving into and learning scripture,
Spending time with other believers,
Worshiping and communing together and
prayer?
It seems to make sense to me. Sure there are other things about being a church, for example, it’s not about being with believers ONLY, but sharing the Word of Jesus with nonbelievers.
Basically…
This verse in Acts 2 lays out a church on fire for Jesus.
This is a church wanting to be closer to Jesus.
This is a church who is excited about the hope they have.
This is a church that looks to the needs of others.
This is a church who gets it.
This is not a magical formula for success, but rather the activities that flow from the assembly out of their faith in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. When a church lives out Acts 2:42, the church is doing the very thing that should come naturally, like breathing. If these activities are laborious then something is wrong. You can’t force anything of those activities and you can’t fake it. You are either verse 42 or not. If your church is not, then go back to the beginning: Devote yourself to scripture.
To having any real and lasting hope; for the church to make an impact in the world; for the church to be a beacon of light in a dark world, verse 42 needs to be present. Because believe it or not, people need and want to be part of verse 42.
Only God can make a difference. Only God will bring the increase: And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. [Acts 2:47]
Let’s be an Act 2:42 church that glorifies God almighty for the sake of the world.
The Pastor -|—
Holy God,
there is much to fear in this world.
Satan is running around
trying to lead us astray through false worship.
He is trying to drag us down into hopelessness.
At times Satan succeeds
and thus paralyzes us with fear,
so much so,
that the Gospel is not proclaimed.
But we ask that You may send Your Holy Spirit
to teach us
and remind us
of the victory we have through faith in Jesus Christ.
Show us the cross.
Show us the empty tomb.
Show us Jesus.
May we see the life we have in You
and know that death has been defeated.
May we rejoice in You
and thus share this Joy with others.
And in the end,
may You and You alone be glorified.
Now may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
The hand that grips this cross
is sinful and stained,
but thankfully the one who died upon the cross
is holy and perfect.
The hand that grips this cross
is in need of help and rescue,
but thankfully the one who died upon the cross
has won the victory through his resurrection.
The hand that grips this cross
falls short of God’s glory continually,
but thankfully the one who died upon the cross
extends grace and mercy endlessly.
The hand that grips this cross
will one day give way to death and decay,
but thankfully the one who died upon the cross
has risen that the possessor of this hand may live eternally.
The hand that grips this cross
doesn’t always treat people as they ought to be treated,
but thankfully the one who died upon the cross
doesn’t treat the person of this hand as they ought to be treated.
and therefore,
The hand that grips this cross
will always cling to the promises secured therein;
thankful for Jesus, the one who died upon the cross
FOR YOU and FOR ME.
The Pastor -|—
Oh God,
Open my eyes that I my see Your glory.
Open my ears that I may receive Your most holy Word.
Open my heart that the junk therein my fall out and Your Spirit enter to reside.
Open my mind to learn more of You.
Oh God,
Open my hands to serve my neighbor.
Open my mouth to speak of Your grace and love.
Open my life that I my receive my neighbor.
Open a door that I may walk through to glorify You.
Oh God,
You are the opener of all things.
You are the creator of all opportunities.
May I not miss the openness of Your grace
and thus miss a grand opening to share the truth of Jesus Christ.
Oh God,
open closed doors,
and send me,
to the glory of Your holy name through Christ Lord my Lord.
Amen
The Pastor -|—
Holy God,
may You send Your Holy Spirit
that those here who do not believe
may come to a saving faith in Jesus.
Send also, Your Holy Spirit
to those struggling with doubts,
that the resurrection of Jesus may be confirmed in their souls.
Send Your Holy Spirit
that the peace that surpasses all understanding
may hold us firm when Satan is strongly attacking from all sides.
Send Your Holy Spirit
that we may know You better and better.
Oh God, please send Your Holy Spirit.
All praise, worship, glory and honor be onto You,
Holy God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
AMEN.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 