The Shepherd’s Voice
The Shepherd’s Voice is one of our pastor’s communications extension to the Church, our friends and the world. He uses it as a way to reach out to our faith community while providing spiritual insight and perspectives to the sermon messages and events and issues of our day. We are welcomed and encouraged to comment on any of the messages by clicking the “Fine or Main Point” link you want to comment on, going to the bottom of the page and filling in and Submitting the Reply at the end of the message. Most of the blogs have audio playback so we can listen to as well as read them. We hope you are blessed and inspired by our Shepherd’s Voice.
06
Apr '20
Fine Points Monday April 6 2020
06
Apr '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “The Man From Galilee”.
As some of you knew and others may have not noticed, yesterday was “Palm Sunday”. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and marks the beginning of Holy Week. For Christians, this is the most sacred time of the year because it marks the beginning and end of our Lord’s last days leading to the cross of Calvary and ending in His triumphant resurrection.
But some of us are so busy watching and listening for news about the coronavirus and the effects it has and is having on our lives, that we have taken our eyes and focus off of the church. Some are asking “Is Sunday Easter?” as if to say Easter has sneaked up on them unaware.
But the answer to the question is “yes, Sunday is Easter” and the nation and the church is facing a pandemic that has prohibited the gathering of more than 10 people in any physical space with a few necessary exceptions. When all sporting events were cancelled, many in the church didn’t say much. The same was true when all businesses that cater to social public gatherings were order to close.
But this Sunday, the order really hits home. Not just for Palm Sunday and Easter, but for all services going forward. Easter is our main day. It represents the reason we are Christians. It, like no other day, says to the world “Our Savior Lives and Reigns”.
The scripture says when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the multitude of people were making such a noise that the city was moved and people were asking “Who is this man?”. On a day and week when we should be shouting “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord”, there is a great deal of silence.
We have allowed this pandemic to silence us on the very day and week we should be shouting “Do You Know the Man from Galilee”. Some things are beyond our control, but there are many things within our control. While we may not be able to gather at a physical location, God has made it possible to invite more people to our Easter service than could possibly sit within the walls of our sanctuaries.
Easter services this year are moving all across the nation and the world from a physical address to a web address. For us here at Flag Branch it is WWW.FBMBC.ORG. The physical doors are closed, but our virtual doors are open. Churches everywhere must make the transition from a sole physical presence to an online presence. .
And the good thing about this is that people who can not or will not come to the physical church, can come to the virtual church from almost anywhere in the world. This is the present and future challenge we must step up to and meet if we are going to continue to carry out the great commission. Many of us have said we are going to do it or we need to do it.
But, this pandemic has forced the issue. If our voices are to be heard, we must find ways to lift them in places and ways that tradition methods will no longer be effective. Therefore, for Flag Branch and every church in the household of faith, this is no time to be silent. This is no time to lay down, to be content to stay at home and do nothing, to be discouraged or throw in the towel.
The people of God must spread the word if your pastor and church has an online presence that your doors are open for Easter! We must do all we can to support the pastors and church to enhance and improve the church’s online presence. If we say we love the Lord and the church, then let’s make the necessary adjustments to transition from a solely physical church to a physical and virtual church.
Let’s make it our business as the people of God to get rid of tithing and offering envelopes as the primary means of receiving financial support by making it safe and convenient to give online. One day soon they may become a thing of the past. Those who know must help those who don’t for we are in this together.
And because we’ve done it that way since forever, doesn’t mean it will get the job done today. For most of history, plowing was done with a man behind a beast pulling a plow. However, most people don’t use that method anymore.
The methods we have use in the past are good and has helped us to get to where we are, but they are not well equipped of taking us much further into the future. The time has come for the church of God to join the rest of the world in the 21st century by using the tools and methods of communication the world is using to keep spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
After this pandemic is over, there will not be a return to business as usual. A change has and is taking place before our eyes as the virtual revolution and social and physical distancing is becoming the “new normal”.
So, let’s shout it out, tell others that the church doors are not closed! Tell everybody you and the church are celebrating Easter at WWW.The NameOfTheChurch.Org, and/or at Facebook, and YouTube, and Instagram and any other platform or method to get the gospel to the church and the present age we have been called to serve.
Have a good Holy Week. Keep the focus, not on the pandemic and economic and political turmoil, but on where it needs and should be – Jesus Christ. Go to church online this Sunday and help celebrate the greatest day on the calendar and the year – the day of our Lord’s resurrection, Easter. If the church you attend is not on line, find one that is and help yours to get online. But by all means, get to church.
Remember to visit our website to see our latest news, announcements and worship activities and opportunities. Don’t forget to read and listen the pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
30
Mar '20
Fine Points Monday March 30 2020
30
Mar '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “Finding the Bright Side”.
All things are working for good” is the assurance we as children of God have according to His Word. Since this is true, there must be a bright side to all the afflictions that happen to us. Most of the time the bright side is not always apparent and may difficult to see while we are in the midst of an affliction. But nevertheless, a bright side is always there.
Paul characterized our afflictions as light and momentary when placed beside the eternal glory that awaits God’s children. Feathers are light and a moment can be only five seconds. Both of these don’t amount to much and so are our afflictions. This is why we must never worry or despair over our trials and tribulations, but instead look for and find the good coming out of all we must endure.
Now that Union County, NC has joined the growing list of jurisdictions under orders to remain at home, we must find innovative and new ways to stay in the business God has called us be in. This is a bright side to our current situation caused by this pandemic.
The culture in which the people of God live receive information and communicate in ways that have changed and continue to change than that of those a generation or two ago. Churches, especially small and rural churches, have been slow to adapt to these changing dynamics.
God is using this pandemic to push us to do things we have been hesitate to do but will help us with our efforts to reach this generation with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As things currently stand, it appears all Easter and Holy Week services will be under these new restrictions. We must find the bright side in these restrictions and use them to make the most of the situation we are in.
This is only a test, but one designed to place us in a better position to carry out the will of God. It’s not a test of passing or failure, but a test of endurance and adaptation. Our culture is experiencing something that is going to change the way we do and conduct business.
When this is over, things will not be as they were before. A new and adaptive way of communicating and doing business is and has emerged as a result of this health emergency. Just like 911 changed the travel industry and security in this nation, there will be some lasting changes and policies that will be put in place that is going to make a permanent change in the way we all do business and interact with each other.
Therefore, let us not be apprehensive or fearful, but embrace the challenges we have been presented to serve this present age given the environment and tools we have to work in and with to carry out the great commission to preach the gospel to all nations.
Remember to visit our website to see our latest news, announcements and worship activities and opportunities. Don’t forget to read and listen to our pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
23
Mar '20
Fine Points Monday March 22 2020
23
Mar '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “Need for a Spiritual Reset”.
We are living in a time where we utilize many machines and devices that are programmed to function in a certain way. Sometimes these machines and devices fail to operate as designed because they have encountered something that their circuitry and logic cannot overcome.
No matter how many times an operation is attempted or button pressed, it just will not work. The only way to correct the problem is a “reset” of the machine or device that clears out the data that is in the machine or device that is keeping it from functioning.
Like those devices and machines, some of God’s people are in need of a spiritual reset. God’s people are not functioning the way they were designed to function. No matter how many times they hear the gospel, it’s not having the effect that brings about the desired changes in our lives.
Something is blocking the message from getting through much like something blocks the commands to our machines and devices to behave as they are programmed. Our hearts and minds are cluttered will to much ungodly and worldly mess and pursuits of this and that that it interferes with the messages of God getting through to His children.
Therefore, the only way sometime for God’s messages to get through, something has to happen to take away the sources of interfere. Forced to stay home, God’s children will be cut off from much of what has been distracting them.
It will give them time to reflect on how short life is, just how fragile life is, to think about what they have been doing with their life and to filter out some of the noise and distractions that’s been keeping them from hearing and heeding God’s word. Sometimes even a “reset” will not fix the problem.
Many people are fearful about contracting this current virus. Many are worried about what’s going to happen to their business, jobs and financial accounts. Others are worried about having enough money to paid their bills and if there will be goods and services available. Others are worried that life as they have known it is in danger of not returning.
God may not have caused this virus, but it is certain He has permitted it. It is also certain that God will use this virus and everything else that may or may not happen for the good of His people He has called for His purpose.
To all God’s people, I say God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. And the word of God says that love cast out all fear. This virus is just one of many things in this world that can kill the body and is not to be feared no more than other cause of death. Jesus conquered death on the cross for all of God’s children.
When looked at in the broad scheme of things, this virus is nothing more than a slap on the wrist to be heeded by the children of God. God is pressing our spiritual reset buttons in an attempt to get us to do what we are suppose to do and were designed by Him to do. When the “reset” button fails to correct a machine or device, most likely it is beyond repair.
I hope that this is not the case with anyone God is pressing the reset button on. But after, or even before, this pandemic is over, I hope we all would have gotten the message from God and our spiritual lives will be back in tune with God the way they are suppose to be.
Remember to visit our news link at our website to see our latest news and announcements. Don’t forget to read and listen to our pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
16
Mar '20
Fine Points Monday March 16 2020
16
Mar '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “Walking Through the Valley”.
The United States and much of the world is currently enacting measures directed at containing the spread of a deadly virus. These measures now include “social distancing” and limiting the size of public assemblies, meetings and gatherings.
The schools in many states are temporarily closed and nearly all collegiate and professional sporting events have been cancelled, suspended or postponed. As a result, financial markets are in flux because of the uncertainty of the extend of this outbreak. People are worried and anxious as they adjust to these disruptions in their daily lives and the threat this virus poses to their health and that of their loved ones.
The 23rd Psalm is one of the most beloved and inspiring passages in all of scripture. It can speak to Christians in uncertain and trying times and is speaking to believers at this hour. The Psalm speaks of a place called the valley of the shadows of death.
All of us are familiar with this valley because we have to go through it whether we want to or not. We can go through it alone or we can go there with the Lord. All the things which act to take our life reside in this valley and give it its name. The coronavirus is just the latest of enemies to come to this valley.
Because the Lord is with him, the psalmist does not fear walking through the valley. When the Lord is with us, we do not have to fear walking through the valley as well. The Lord is there to protect and preserve that which is most important.
Jesus said for us not to fear those things which can kill the body, but fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul. By walking with the Lord, the worst thing that can happen to us is that one of the things in the valley attack and destroy our body. And though our body dies, our soul or life is saved by our faith in Christ.
We should therefore not fear this or any crisis that comes our way as they are all part of the nemesis in the valley of the shadow of death. Instead of being overcome with fear, we should walk with confidence, joy and peace knowing that our souls are safe and secure while the Lord is walking with us.
Remember to visit our news link at our website to see our latest news and announcements. Don’t forget to read and listen to our pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
09
Mar '20
Fine Points Monday March 9 2020
09
Mar '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “The Lures For Lust”.
A lure is something that is used to get someone or something to do something they may be hesitant or uninterested in doing. Lust is a desire for something that is perceived to bring joy, happiness or satisfaction. When our belief is that there is something better than what God has to offer it gives rise to lust. Lures for lust are anything or anyone we encounter that encourage us to follow up or act upon our lust.
Jesus told those who would come after Him that they would have to do three things. They would have to deny themselves. To deny ourselves is to say no to our lust. That means we seek to do the will of God and cease to look for things that are better and more satisfying than doing the will of God.
And by saying no to lust, we say yes to love. It is love that motivated Jesus to come to us and offer us God’s forgiveness. It is the same love that will motivate us when we abandon our lust to follow Christ.
Another thing Jesus says for us to do is to take up our cross. This means we must be willing to suffer for the sake of lost humanity in order to help them achieve the purpose God has for them. And that purpose is for them to live. God did not create man to die, but to live. It is our lust for that outside of God’s will that will destroy us.
Our lusts are harmful and causes us to look inward instead of outward. Lust causes us to be selfish in our motives and behaviors which can lead to acts that disregard the welfare, and even harm, injure or kill others to achieve our own desires. And even if we achieve the object of our lust, what has it profited or advantaged us in the end if the result is the lost of immortality and death of our souls?
If we therefore are not engaged with Jesus to seek and save the lost which is God’s will and what Jesus calls us to do, then we have been lured away from this purpose by something or someone we have encountered that is leading and luring us to believe that there is something better than God and His will and purpose for our lives.
And if this describes you, what do you have or want that is so important or valuable that you are willing to sacrifice your immortal soul in order to possess or enjoy it for less than a fraction of a second relative to eternity?
Visit our news link at our website to see our latest news and announcements. Don’t forget to read and listen to our pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
02
Mar '20
Fine Points Monday March 2 2020
02
Mar '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s message “An Eerie Silence or Eternal Praise”.
In the movie “Castaway”, Tom Hanks portrays a survivor of a plane crash who washes up on shore of a deserted island. There are no other human beings there and minimal animal life. Everyone assumes he died in the crash and no one is searching for him.
At this point he is lost to the world and the world to him. He makes noise and sounds but no one hears them but himself. He makes things, yet nobody but himself knows what he made. He has ideas and thoughts but no one besides himself to share them with.
And when he dies, there will be no one to mourn his death, to remember what he did or said or to acknowledge his life. All that would be left on that island would be an eerie silence left by someone who use to live there.
If there is no God, then we are Tom Hanks and earth is the island he was stranded on. Our life like his would be limited to the earth upon which we live. No one else would know we exist and all of our efforts will go no further than the bounds of our human limitations.
No one outside ourselves would notice what we do and no one would notice or care when we died. We would leave behind an eerie silence that said someone once lived here.
The bible teaches us that the dead are silent but the living will bless the Lord and praise His name. Their praise can’t be silenced by death but it continues forever and forever. Yesterday’s message is about refuting the belief that mankind is somehow like Tom Hanks was, a forgotten unknown castaway, and the earth like some deserted island in the middle of nowhere unaware of anyone and anyone aware of it.
People are living like no one knows and no one cares about them outside of their own little world of family and friends. But Psalm 115:15-18 teaches us that God made and owns the heavens and earth and he gave earth to mankind. Man’s life is therefore not meaningless nor purposeless as it would be if there is no God.
Someone is watching and taking notice of what we are doing and has a plan for our lives. Our praise of God is not only for or nor only last for the here and now, but it is eternal and will never end.
God told Moses that He is, meaning at this very moment, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not that He was their God. In saying this God was letting Moses know that He is not the God of the dead (because the dead don’t praise the Lord) but of the living.
In other words, the praise of those who bless the Lord shall do so now and forever. Physical death as we know it will not be able to silence them. The God who placed them on this earth has ordained and willed it so. Again, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
The dead don’t praise the Lord, but the living do. Are you alive or are you dead? I hope you are the former or you become so. Visit our News link at our website to see our latest news and announcements. Don’t forget to read and listen to our pastor’s Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page, website and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website or by clicking the link. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
24
Feb '20
Fine Points Monday February 24 2020
24
Feb '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message.
Don’t forget to get your presentation together for Show and Tell the 5th Sunday in March. By beginning now, you will have adequate time to prepare so you will be prepared to make a good presentation.
Everyone is invited to meet me this Wednesday at Greater Grace MBC at 6:00 pm for an Ash Wednesday service. Ash Wednesday is a religious service that marks the beginning of Lent – a period of self-denial, examination, repentance and contemplation in the forty days prior to Easter.
All Members and Family Day is the 3rd Sunday in March this year. Be sure to invite a family member or friend who is not going to church to come join us on that day. Also spread the word around to any member you haven’t seen lately to remind them of this special day.
I would like to hold another financial workshop for members and friends on Saturday, April 25. Let me know if you know of any conflict with this day asap. And now just a few fine points from yesterday’s message “Called According to Purpose”.
The scientific evidence continues to mount and increase to support the conclusion that life as we know and understand it could not have evolved anywhere in the universe by chance. By chance I mean of natural causes undirected or aided by anything outside of itself.
If that were the case, then the purpose for humanity’s existence would be undefined. We could conjure up a purpose, but it would be no more valid than any other purpose someone else would put forth because none of them would be real or true.
They would simply be something we tell ourselves to explain, justify and validate an existence which has no purpose. But the evidence points to a Creator who made the universe and everything that is in it. In one way or another, this Creator, who we call God, is responsible for all things. And we know that whatever is created, is created for a reason or purpose.
So, it is only within God we will find our true purpose for being. The scripture tells us that all things are working together for good for those who love their Creator and are fulfilling the call for their purpose as given by Him. Some things are good and some things are bad. Some things enhance life and others destroy life.
But no matter what the outcome for us personally and physically, they are designed to benefit or be good for those who love God and are called to fulfill His purpose. So then, life is not meaningless or purposeless as it would be in a self-made universe.
There is a meaning and purpose to and for everything that happens because God is at work in people, places, things and events accomplishing His will and pleasure for what He has created. And part of His will and pleasure is for a portion of humanity to emerge as images of His Son Jesus Christ.
So, no matter what may come our way, just know that God is at work and working things out for the purpose of preparing a people for a holy, heavenly and other worldly eternal life with Him. Look for our Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
17
Feb '20
Fine Points Monday February 17 2020
17
Feb '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message.
Don’t forget to get your presentation together for Show and Tell the 5th Sunday in March. By beginning now, you will have adequate time to prepare so you will be prepared to make a good presentation.
I have been invited to bring a message for an Ash Wednesday service to be held at Greater Grace Community MBC in Marshville, NC on Wednesday, February 26th at 6:00 pm. So please mark your calendars and come along with me.
I would like to hold another financial workshop for members and friends in March or April. I will let you know as soon as I decide on a date and time. And now just a few fine points from yesterday’s message “Wine of the World”.
Wine is a beverage that can lead to intoxication if taken in sufficient quantity. When one is intoxicated, his or her judgement in impaired which leads to decisions that have not been properly investigated or thought out. Jesus warns believers to be alert so that their hearts don’t become heavy and weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and anxiety.
As people lots improve, we have a tendency to pursue the pleasures and comforts of life, over indulge and begin to be anxious over material and necessary things. In doing so, people begin to forsake and forget about their creator and begin to worship the things that have been created and believe that they no longer need God.
This condition of pursuing and over indulging in worldly things is a way of saying we are drinking and have become intoxicated on the wine of the world. This fall into these things Jesus called a trap or snare that shall come upon all the world. It will expose the corrupt hearts of all whose hearts are not in obedience and reverence to God.
People who are drunk on this wine will not be able to stand up before Jesus in the day of reckoning. We are told to be pray that we don’t fall into this trap by having the strength to resist the temptation to drink of this worldly wine.
Look for our Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
10
Feb '20
Fine Points Monday February 10 2020
10
Feb '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message.
February is “Black History” month in which the notable contributions of black people to society and civilization is noted. Now is a good time to choose an individual to present for Show and Tell the 5th Sunday in March in case you haven’t chosen someone yet.
I have been invited to bring a message for an Ash Wednesday service to be held at Greater Grace Community MBC in Marshville, NC on Wednesday, February 26th at 6:00 pm. So please mark your calendars and come along with me.
Tax season is upon us and some of us will be receiving tax refunds from the government. I hope your plans for any refund includes giving the proper portion that belongs to God to the church. 30-year fixed home mortgage rates are at the lowest point they have been in years.
If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a home or if your current mortgage rate is 4.25% or higher, now is a good time to consider refinancing or buying a home. Home ownership is one of the best ways to pass down generational wealth to your descendants. The US economy is heading toward a fiscal cliff and once it falls off, there’s no telling where interest rates are going to be.
I would like to hold another financial workshop for members and friends in March or April. I will let you know as soon as I decide on a date and time. And now just a few fine points from yesterday’s message “Spiritual Amnesia”.
There are some aspects of the past that people would like to leave behind, forget about and move on from. But the Lord God, His commandments and the things He has done for us is something we must never forget. This is what Moses told Israel as they were coming into the Promised Land of Canaan.
He told them not to forget the Lord God after they were full. Not to forget the Lord God after they had moved in to good houses, had gold and silver in their pockets, had increased possessions and everything they needed.
When that day comes, he told them not to get the big head and begin to say they achieve all they have by their own hand. But instead to remember is was the Lord their God who not only delivered them from slavery, brought them through the terrible wilderness and kept and maintained them through it all.
The descendants of those whose ancestors arrived in this country indentured or enslaved have something in common with those Moses was speaking to. This is also true for those who organized Flag Branch MBC in 1907 just 42 years after the end of the US Civil War.
Some of them or the parents were born into slavery and were freed without receiving anything for all the work they have been forced to do. For many of them, their ancestors had nothing to depend on except their faith.
They had already faced many trials and the journey was just beginning in many ways as they found themselves free but without the means or support to navigate through a society that was hostile and set up against them. Nevertheless, God was their helper and brought them through.
Now that their descendants are full and prosperous and safe, they should be blessing the Lord and keeping His commandments for what He has done for them. But instead, they are doing what Moses warned against in forgetting the Lord, lifting up their hearts and saying I have gotten what I have and where I am on my own.
This is spiritual amnesia and is a danger Moses warned Israel about and a warning people today need to heed as well. Look for our Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
03
Feb '20
Fine Points Monday February 3 2020
03
Feb '20
Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message.
Can you believe we have already completed the first month in a new decade? It feels like January didn’t last very long, and if January is any indication, February won’t be around long as well.
February is also “Black History” month in which the notable contributions of black people to society and civilization is noted. Now would be a good time to choose an individual to present for Show and Tell the 5th Sunday in March in case you haven’t chosen someone yet.
I have been invited to bring a message for an Ash Wednesday service to be held at Greater Grace Community MBC in Marshville, NC on Wednesday, February 26. So please mark your calendars and come along with me.
Tax season is upon us and some of us will be receiving tax refunds from the government. I hope your plans for any refund includes the proper portion that belongs to God.
30-year fixed home mortgage rates are at the lowest point they have been in years. If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a home or if your current mortgage rate is 4.25% or higher, now is a good time to consider refinancing or buying a home.
The US economy is heading toward a fiscal cliff and once it falls off, there’s no telling where interest rates are going to land. I am planning to hold another financial workshop for members and friends in March or April. I will let you know as soon as I decide on a date. And now just a few fine points from yesterday’s message “Light to the Rescue”.
Someone in need of rescue is in a precarious, dangerous or perilous situation they can’t get out of alone. Therefore, they need outside help to deliver them from the situation they find themselves in. Such is the case when people are sitting in places of darkness that drain them of everything pertaining to life.
Darkness kills, hides and conceals. It removes hope and invites despair. It provides cover for hatred, lies, deceit and every kind of evil imaginable. Some people have resigned themselves to live in darkness and have become accustomed to the darkness.
But for all those people who are not happy with their situation and who want to escape the darkness, the gospel or good news is that Light has come to their rescue. God is Light. Light is the only thing that can dispel darkness.
Light is the very opposite of light and has the opposite effect on people’s lives. Light give life. It uncovers and reveals. It exposes lies and allows the truth to be seen and heard. Light gives hope and repels all evil, hatred and ignorance.
Light has come to the rescue of all who want to be delivered in the person of Jesus Christ. Whoever follows Him will not walk and wallow in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Look for our Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
