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Countdown to Christmas

November 28, 2021 | Countdown to Christmas Part 1

November 28, 2021 • Pastor Ken Cline

As we enter the season of Advent, our thoughts return to the expectation of the coming of Christ. Now, of course, since it’s Christmastime, we remember the story about how Jesus was announced to the world through prophecies and angels and came to Earth as a baby. But did you know that Jesus wasn’t the only miraculous birth that was announced that way? Ok, so, maybe there wasn’t singing in the sky and a guiding star and all that, but this baby was going to be an important part of Jesus ministry. And the announcement of his birth teaches us lessons about a Holy, promise-keeping God and how we can sometimes forget how awesome He is! Listen in as Pastor Ken shares the story of another miraculous birth that signaled the end of a 400-year spiritual dry spell for the Children of Israel and pointed to the coming Messiah! It’s a story of miracles, hope, and faith. Oh yeah, and advent doesn’t just remind us of when Jesus was born, it reminds us that we’re awaiting His arrival again! The King is coming – again!

December 12, 2021 | Countdown to Christmas Part 2

December 12, 2021 • Pastor Ken Cline

Today’s sermon was the beginning of the Christmas story in Luke 1. The contrast was between the angel’s visit to Zechariah to tell him of the upcoming birth of John the Baptist; and the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary to tell of Jesus' upcoming birth. Zechariah reacts in disbelief because of his & Elizabeth’s advanced age. We sometimes do the same when we think God cannot work out something in our lives. In contrast, Mary is reverently fearful of the Lord, asks how it can come about since she is a virgin, and then readily accepts the plan. We must also remember what the angel tells Mary in Luke 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God.” The story continues when Mary visits Elizabeth and the baby within Elizabeth leaps when hearing Mary’s greeting. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks of the child that Mary will have even though Elizabeth wouldn’t have known that naturally and Mary probably wasn’t showing any physical signs yet of her pregnancy. Likewise, often we have no physical signs of what God is going to do in our lives. He works supernaturally. What makes you a Christian? Decorating a tree? Coming to church? Saying a prayer when you were too young to understand? If you aren’t a Christian, it is as if you were in a burning car that is about to explode. Should you say, “I’m good, I’ll figure it out”? Or should you turn to the person knocking on the window and get out and be saved? God came to earth as a baby so he could grow up to be a man who died for us to save us from ourselves. Luke 1:50 says “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

December 19, 2021 | Countdown to Christmas Part 3

December 19, 2021 • Pastor Ken Cline

For thousands of years, God had been orchestrating signs to lead people to Jesus. One of the earliest prophecies in Scripture is found in Numbers 24:17, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.” For centuries, faithful Jews watched for the signs pointing to the Star of Jacob to come true, but how did the wise men know the new star they saw in the east was announcing a Jewish King? Why did they make such an arduous journey to meet Him and bring Him such expensive gifts? Could they have been taught the prophecies of by someone like Daniel, a leader of the wise men of Babylon during the exile? We don’t know for sure, but the presence of these men affirm what God had been trying to tell Israel all along—that Jesus would be the Savior of the world, not just the King of the Jews. As the Christmas story unfolds, we see some were not eager to welcome Jesus into their lives. The religious leaders in Jerusalem knew well the signs of the Messiah and even pointed the wise men to look for Jesus in Bethlehem, but they didn’t go with the wise men to see if the prophecies had come true. Herod, tried to manipulate the wise men into leading him to Jesus so he could murder Him. When they went out of their way to avoid Herod on their return trip, Herod murdered all of the baby boys under two years old in the area in an attempt to remove the perceived threat to his throne. Every work of God will be fought by the Enemy. But even with all of the death and scandal threaded through the Christmas story, the prevailing message that people still focus on more than 2,000 years later is one of joy, hope, and peace. As it was with the shepherd and the wise me, finding Jesus changes everything. Jesus didn’t come to make our lives better but to transform them completely. Those who are wise will still seek Him today and still find Him eager to breathe wonder, joy, and peace into their weary worlds. And when your life has been changed, you can then become a shining star leading others to Jesus until His return.

December 5, 2021 | Glenn Hatcher

December 5, 2021

Glen Hatcher and his wife, Phyllis, have a history of sharing the Gospel in other countries. They started out at Valdosta University in Georgia, went to Kenya, where they started a school of ministry, and ministered in Cyprus after a vision from the Lord. They discipled many in that country and throughout North Africa. Glen and Phyllis have known and been a blessing to our congregation for over 30 years! In that time, the world has changed a lot. 2020 lockdowns and curfews during the quarantine have made life and evangelism especially difficult. This has been an era of disruption for individuals, families, and the Church–somewhat like a boat adrift on a wave of turmoil. We can find comfort and encouragement through many passages of scripture where Jesus and his disciples were going through storms and trials out to sea. When we see Jesus in a boat in scripture, this is a signal that something is about to happen! First, there was the miraculous catch of fish. Second is the storm that rose up while Jesus was asleep in the boat, during which the disciples asked, “Don’t you care?” (Many in the Church have been saying this during this time.) After the storm was over and they were safely to the other side, Jesus met the demoniac of the Gadarenes. The disciples watched from the boat while Jesus ministered deliverance to the man. After the demons were cast out, Jesus told him to tell others what God had done for him. The goal was to make disciples. (Glen also has a vision to have a sustainable business to produce disciples.) Finally, in Matthew 14, after John the Baptist was beheaded, the time started ticking for Jesus to fulfill his destiny. After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus tells the disciples to go in the boat and go to the other side of the sea. When the storm arose, they probably had several desperate questions like “Where are you, Lord,” What’s going on?,” and “What are you doing?” In the morning hours, they saw Jesus walking on the water and thought he was a ghost. They were terrified when they should have had peace and joy. We need to look at the story differently. Instead of focussing on Peter’s failure, lack of faith, and sinking into the water, focus on what Jesus does. His words of comfort were, “Take heart; it is I,” even in the midst of the storm. The storm didn’t stop at that point. Peter responds with, “If it’s you, Lord, bid me to come.” We need to be asking the same thing of the Lord in the middle of our storms. Don’t rebuke the storm and decide it’s not of God. Instead, we should ask, “Is that you, Lord?” We need to be ready to get out of our comfort zone…out of the boat and into the water like Peter did. Sometimes, God asks us to go from a trying situation (boat) to one that is even more difficult (water). God is pouring his Spirit out on all flesh, like he did at Pentecost. God is pouring his Spirit out on Saginaw, MI. We need to ask, “If it’s really you, Lord, bid me to come.” Glen shared a testimony of meeting with a believer in a location in the Middle East. He didn’t know the man was a believer until he asked if he believed in Jesus as the Son of God and if he believed Christ rose from the dead. Those who believe in Jesus in many parts of the Middle East know that to follow Jesus, they are not signing up for safety, security, and normalcy. They are getting out of the boat and into the water, facing persecution from the government, their community, and even their family members. Jesus is often in the storm and not where we think he should be. He does things we didn’t expect. We should be asking, “Can I be with you and be part of that (what you are doing?)” Where will you be? Are you willing to ask God this question?