PASTOR'S CORNER

John 3:22-36 Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all? Those famous words spoken by the wicked Queen. What was the answer every time by the Mirror? “The mirror always replies: "My Queen, you are the fairest in that land.”  The same answer that we seek for ourselves from time to time! See….I think the greatest hurdle to overcome is the hurdle of self. A desire to be known, respected, getting what we want, our purposes, ambitions and desire for our identity in life to be known; especially in ministry. As Paul Tripp calls it in his marriage seminars that battle from within….the battle between the kingdom of self-versus the kingdom of God. Think about the greatest battle we face! Is it not the battle of our own desires and wants over what God wants in our life. Everyone one of us at some point in time battle with this….maybe even right now! Everyone one of us wants to be recognized or popular among our peers and family. Let’s face it!  We are naturally

John 3:1-21 Jesus said “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matt 12:30.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful thing…especially in a world that is tainted with sin and self.  It will either cause your heart to move towards him or away from Him.  As one preacher said “true gospel preaching always changes the heart, it either awakens it or hardens it.”  See we live in a culture that is very hostile and wants nothing to do with Jesus!  And sadly all that does is leave a person empty and void of His Spirit.  What I think is worse is that we are seeing a trend inside the church that in reality they are equally as lost.  WHAT DO I MEAN?   It’s a person who thinks they are in right standing with God   or I believe in Jesus and I’m ok.  It’s that outward confession but no inward heart change.  Mike Spencer calls it “a spirituality that has Jesus on the cover but not in the book.”  Matt Chandler in his book “the Explicit Gospel”

John 3:1-21 Ever since Adam and Eve's sinned in the garden there disobedience has plunged the entire human race into sin and bondage…..even before you were born! This puts us into a considerable amount of trouble with a holy and just God.  What’s worse is that the lord of lies [Satan]  hasn't  ceased to promote that lie by saying “don’t worry be happy…..you can come to God on our own terms, in your own way.”  This is lie that has not ceased since the beginning with  first created  humans…..Adam and Eve. People today are still failing and embracing this lie which comes from the depths of Hell. All who follow on this broad road only leads to one place! DESTRUCTION.  In 2 Cor 4:3-4 Paul said “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” MANKIND HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM ……What

John 3:1-22 Born Again?  THIS IS THE DAUNTING QUESTION THAT THE  CHURCH  NEEDS TO TAKE MORE SERIOUSLY TODAY.  It’s so sad to see around our evangelical world, the gospel being undressed to 4 or 5 spiritual laws that person must do or jump through in order to be saved.  For example , sign a confession card or say a prayer….and then poof welcome to the family of God. DO WE [the church] REALIZE THE DANGERS OF THIS SORT OF THINKING. THE ONLY THING IT LEADS TOO IS DESTRUCTION AND THE WRATH OF GOD. Ray Comfort said in his book “Hell’s Best Keep Secret” In the late seventies, God very graciously opened an itinerant ministry to me. As I began to travel, I found that I had access to church growth records, and found to my horror that something like 80 to 90% of those making a decision for Christ were falling away from the faith. That is, modern evangelism with its methods is creating something like 80 to 90 of what we commonly call backsliders for every hundred decisions for Christ.