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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 26 February 2010 00:29 |
CHOSEN BY GOD Ephesians 1:3-4: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. When we read this passage we must realize that it is God who chose us. (John 15:16) Jesus said to his disciples: "You did not choose me, I chose you.) Here is the wonder of it all: It is not so wonderful that we chose God; the wonder is that God chose us. It is important for us to remember that he chose us before the creation of the world to be holy (set apart from the world to be different. Consider Jesus who did not conform to the expectations of those who he came to save. He was born in a manger, grew up in a normal household, learned to work with his hands. Satan temped him with riches and power and he never lost sight as to what his purpose was; to restore the relationship between man and his Heavenly Father which has been destroyed by sin.) We are to be blameless in God's sight ( We live in a world today that accepts most anything. Sexual immorality, envy, murder, strife and malice, just to name a few. It is bad enough that these things exist in the world but, the church itself has be infected with these sins as well. We have forgotten that while Christ died and set us free from from sin, we have the responsibility to battle these sins in our own lives. We must strive to be blameless before God. Strife and malice are two sins which can destroy and congregation and bring shame upon the Body of Christ. It is our responsibility to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and he will provide the way for us. Let us never forget that God chose us. Let us remember this (If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest but to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient ot death-even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that if above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11 Larry Let us stop for a moment and look at the riches that God has blessed us with when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is not the things that we are able to obtain through our ablilities; that being those things that the world views as riches. No it is that which only God can provide; that being the Fruit of the Spirit: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindenss, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
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Last Updated on Friday, 26 February 2010 00:34 |
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January 2010 - Elders Message |
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I dont make New Years resolutions, and I would dare say that very few people actually do. Even for those few who do, very few actually wind up keeping them. I think that is because the word resolution has lost the meaning of its root word resolve and has become more about setting a goal. A goal is a measurable objective that we can meet. Being resolved is a state of mind. I am afraid that the reason so few of us make or keep New Years resolutions is that we dont have the resolve to meet our goals. Perhaps it is just as well that we dont use the word resolve casually. The Bible rarely uses it so I think we should sit up and take notice when it does, because what is being resolved is basic to our faith.
The apostle Paul resolved to do something in Corinthians, but it wasnt a measurable goal. Lets look at the first 3 verses of I Corinthians chapter 2:
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Paul resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Not that Paul was trying to erase information from his brain like it was a hard drive, but that he was only going to have one priority, and that was preaching Jesus. If we read the previous chapter, we find that Paul made this resolution in order to avoid feeding the divisions that were forming in the Corinthian church. In our present times, when our society seems to be getting increasingly polarized about everything - from how to deliver medical services to how to choose the best college football team and even what operating system to use on our computers, I think we should take a lesson from Pauls resolution. We should resolve to realize that God has the final say in the end. If we dont seek His will it wont matter how our health care gets paid for, because in the end this world will be destroyed anyway. |
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Thursday, 05 November 2009 15:04 |
Veteran’s Day is celebrated each year in the month of November in the United States. The purpose of Veteran’s Day is to remember and honor those men and women in the military services who have fought for and defended our country and freedoms over the years. This day is set aside to give the veterans thanks and recognition for their service to our nation. Many veterans have defended this nation by giving all, with the forfeiture of their own lives.
If you spend enough time talking with and getting to know a veteran, you will find that most possess a perspective of life that you will not generally find in non-veterans. They have experience with trials and tribulations, such as separation from family and loved ones, denial of self, and sacrifice. They understand what it means to persevere, and if necessary, to give all. In essence, they have “been through the fire”. These military veterans have protected us all.
I hold our military veterans in the highest esteem and regard, and will never diminish their service or memory in any way, but I believe that there are also Christian veterans with similar attributes.
Christian veterans possess a perspective of life that you will not generally find in less experienced, or “young”, Christians. Christian veterans have experience with trials and tribulations too, such as pain, suffering, loss, denial of self, and sacrifice. They understand what it means to persevere, and have usually also “been through the fire”. Many Christian veterans have also forfeited their mortal lives for their belief in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Christian veterans have knowledge in the Word and experience and wisdom in how to apply the Word to everyday life. They are the individuals that are doing their best everyday to be as Christ-like as possible. They know they will never achieve this goal, but strive for it nonetheless. It is not for their edification or glory that they do this, but simply because that is what God wants them to do. These Christian veterans can be a help and encouragement to us all, as Hebrews 10:25 states: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It is very appropriate that Thanksgiving Day is the next holiday to be celebrated after Veteran’s Day. After remembering the service and sacrifice of our veterans, it is proper to give thanks for our blessings. I believe our veterans are blessings. I am thankful to the military veterans for their service and sacrifice, and the wisdom and experience they can impart. Likewise, I am also thankful to the Christian veterans for their service and sacrifice, and the experience and wisdom they can impart. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 05 November 2009 15:06 |
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September Message from the Elders |
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I am writing this on the first official day of fall. Fall is my favorite time of year. However, I don't define fall by the calendar. For me fall begins when the leaves start to turn colors and ends when the last tree has dropped its leaves. The murals that God paints, either entire hillsides full of colorful trees or individual trees that look like someone has lit a giant match, are spectacular to look at. And the view is completely free to everyone, no matter what their relationship with God. This is a good thing, because if the view depended on our relationship with God when we are left to our own devices, we would see nothing but blackness. Fortunately we are not left to our own devices. God has given us the gift of His own son Jesus, so that our relationship to Him can be restored from our sinful state. Refer to Romans 5:12-18. God offers us the gift of forgiveness of sins. While that gift came at a price, the price was already paid when Jesus gave his life on the cross. Now let’s consider what a blessing the beauty of nature is, and it is given out free of charge. Think of what an even greater blessing forgiveness of sins is when it was purchased at a great price. If you are not participating in this gift, we invite you to start today. Contact us at Rose Hill, either by email, phone, or visit us on Sunday morning, and we will tell you what the Bible has to say about receiving that precious gift. |
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Message From the Elders