Dear Church Family,

I enjoy reading and wanted to share with you an excerpt from a book I enjoyed:

Whatever happened to the core truth of the Protestant Reformation, namely, that we do not earn our way with God but rather receive his grace by faith? Like the Galatians, we have walked away from something vital. No wonder the apostle Paul sent them a stern letter that said, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:3).
True Christianity is, rather, to know Jesus and trust in him, to rely on him, to admit that all of our strength comes from him. That kind of faith is not only what pleases God, but is also the only channel through which the power of God flows into our lives so we can live victoriously for him. It is what Paul meant when he wrote, "I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

My coauthor, Dean Merrill, was at a wedding recently in which the bride and groom's responses to the vows were not just the traditional "I do" but rather "I will, with the help of God." The minister who wrote the ceremony knew that human effort alone might not carry the young couple in today's world "until death do you part." He therefore called on them to implore the help of God in building their marriage.

This declaration was very much in keeping with what Solomon said at the dedication of the Temple: "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers" (1 Kings 8: 57-58). In that sentence Solomon showed great insight into the fact that God himself must turn our hearts toward him, or else we will stray.

When most people break down in their Christian life they simply "try harder," Lots of luck! Try harder with what? I've looked inside of me and stopped looking. There's nothing in there that's good or usable. On the other hand, if I turn the other way and begin "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2 KJV), I find everything I need.

Written by: Jim Cymbala in "Fresh Faith"

See you Sunday!
Pastor Lane

Dear Church Family,

I really do like doing yard work. I love the end product. And yet, as I type that, I ask myself if I’ve ever really even seen an end product. I guess I have not – I’ve found that a yard is always a work in progress. I’ve lived in my current house for 2 ½ years, and it’s just now starting to look like I want it to. And there’s a long way left to go!

But it’s taken a lot of work to get here. I’ve done a lot of watering and fertilizing and planting and creating and … well, you get the idea. It’s taken a lot of sweat and scrapes and sore muscles. But when spring hits and the new growth comes out, with all of the bright greens and flower blooms, you know it’s all worth it!

But I’ve come to realize in recent years that there is another major factor in a beautiful yard. In fact, it’s probably THE major factor … death. You read that right. As I sit here, I’m trying to think of a more necessary component in formulating a beautiful yard and I cannot think of one. It’s death. If you want an eye-popping landscape, you have to do a lot of killing. A LOT!

I think through the last couple of years, and I’ve done a lot of killing in my yard. I have killed weeds. A LOT of them … or at least I attempted to (😬). I have dug up creepers and bad root balls in my flower beds. I have cut down several unappealing trees (Remember my eye injury?) and bushes that previous owners obviously loved. I have killed off areas of my yard so I could plant new flower beds. Even cutting the grass and edging and shaping up bushes is producing dead stuff. Let’s just say that the city has hauled off many piles of dead yard trash from my front yard the last 2 years!

Yes, you definitely have to kill a lot of stuff in order to have a yard that looks alive and attractive!

Jesus took that same concept and applied it to an ongoing spiritual reality in our lives. He said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit” John 15:1-2.

You see, there are times where God takes certain things away from us. Or at the very least, He allows them to exit our lives. We may not like it or understand it. It may be painful. It might feel a lot like something inside of us has died. And in times like that, we have the tendency to wonder what we did wrong for God to punish us so. Or it could be that we begin to question God’s goodness or sovereignty or the list could go on. And all the while, all God is doing is making us more beautiful. More productive. More holy. More like His Son.

My grandparents were long-time residents of Jesup. They had a beautiful yard that my grandfather had obviously invested a lot of time in. And a big part of the beauty of the yard were all of the azaleas. Their love for azaleas was passed to my mom and now to me. But every year my Granddaddy would make my Granny so mad! After they bloomed he would cut them back so far … almost to nubs. And she would fuss and fuss. But guess what – every year they grew back more and more beautiful. He knew what he was doing.

So look, when God allows something to be removed from your life, I realize it might hurt – maybe even feel like death. But entrust it to God and His sovereignty. He knows what He’s doing. Because when you do, He will bring you back more beautiful than ever before!

See you Sunday!
Pastor Lane

Dear Church Family,

If we’re being honest, the Christian life seems to be backwards sometimes, does it not? Like when Jesus says that if we will humble ourselves, we will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Or what about the last being first and the first being last (Matthew 20:16)? Then there is the example of the Macedonians who were over-the-top generous in the midst of their extreme poverty (II Corinthians 8:1-5). And the ultimate is Jesus’s declaration that “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). In each of these cases, there are 2 things that simply don’t go together – and yet they do … at least in Christ they do.

There’s another one. It’s hard to fathom. And even harder to reconcile. Some people – some Christians – live several decades and never attain to it. In fact, I struggle with it too. Constantly.

Come prayer time in most church circles, whether it’s Sunday School, prayer meetings, whatever, we have a familiar playbook. We take prayer requests, and if we’re feeling especially spiritual, we add on praise reports. Both of these categories have their own distinctives, right?

Prayer requests usually cover physical problems that people are having. The sickness or disease, the accident, the treatments, etc. Throw in those who are in sorrow over the loss of a loved one. Sadly, it’s much more rare for us to really open up about our loneliness, doubts, struggles, relationships, finances, and temptations, but when we’re in a group that affords such openness, it’s a real blessing. But the point is, our prayer requests are a list of the bad things happening to us and others at the time.

The praise reports are a welcomed break from the struggles list. During this (often too brief) time we talk about all the things that God has given us, all the blessings, all the good things that are going on. Things that we’re thankful for. Things that make us smile.

But what if the lines between prayer requests and praise reports were blurred? What if they weren’t distinct at all? Well guess what – in Christ, our prayer requests become praise reports. And I don’t mean after God answers the prayer requests. I mean WHILE they’re still prayer requests.

Hear the words of Habakkuk 3:17-18:

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

No mention of future blessing or deliverance. No naming and claiming God’s abundance. Nope. Just transferring prayer requests into the praise report column. Backwards. And James captured the same backward idea when he said, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (1:2). Trials ---- & Joy. See? Backwards.

And yet, that’s as characteristic of the Christian life as living even when we die. And really, the source is the same too: faith that Christ is enough. Even if we don’t get all we want, even if God does not answer our prayers the way we would like, even if we continue to go without. God is still enough. And that’s reason enough to praise Him at all times.

See you Sunday!
Pastor Lane

Dear Church Family,

It’s my favorite season of the year - Fall! The weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, it’s football season, outdoor fire pits are in use, everything about it.

Well, almost everything.

They say every rose has its thorns. And every other Fall, those thorns show up in a big way. I’m talking about election season. Now don’t get me wrong – the fact that we live in a country where we can decide who the decision-makers will be is beyond a blessing! And we shouldn’t take that lightly at all. But the thorn is all that surrounds the blessing of voting: the political ads, the attacks, the arguments, the division in families and churches and communities. It’s more than thorns – it’s swords!

Unfortunately, we allow the talking heads to create cults of personality, where we become more loyal to a politician or a political party or even a political process than we are to a Person who cannot lie and who really did lay down His life out of love and service to us. It’s so backwards!

We as believers would do well to remember where our ultimate loyalties lie. And that means that we have to be able to have civil discussions with people who don’t vote like we do. That means we have to maintain respect for those across the aisle, recognizing that they are created in the image of God just like we are. We

must love the ones who see the issues differently than we do, knowing that Christ died for them just like He did for us. We can’t yell, block, unfriend, belittle, or gossip about someone else just because they have a D or an R beside their voter registration. Nope, that’s not how this works. Not when you call Him Lord. He takes precedence over your ideologies or political parties. His commands and the reflection of His character take center stage. Because the Christian life is not a democracy; it’s a theocracy.

But I also want to say a word to those who will never read this article. Those who are in elected positions have a great calling. And it’s full of pitfalls! But I would charge you and warn you at the same time that you must govern circumspectly, remembering that you are in the position you are in only because God willed it. And you will answer to Him for how you govern, how you protect the citizenry, and how you lead. Heed the words of the great King David:

Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV)

See you Sunday!
Pastor Lane

Dear Church Family,

First Kings 22 tells the story of the beginning of the end of evil King Ahab’s life and reign. He’s preparing to go to war with Aram for the third time, but this time he gets some unexpected help. King Jehoshaphat of the southern kingdom of Judah unwisely (2 Chronicles 19:2) offers to join forces with Ahab and Israel to help secure victory. Though Jehoshaphat’s involvement with Ahab was ill-advised, at least he knew better than to go into battle without first securing the Lord’s favor (see I Samuel 23:1-4; II Samuel 2:1). So here’s how the exchange between the two kings goes as they begin the search for God’s blessing.

5 Jehoshaphat also said to Ahab, “But first we should ask if this is the Lord’s will.”

6 Ahab called about four hundred prophets together and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?” They answered, “Go, because the Lord will hand them over to you.”

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s ask him what we should do.”

8 Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one other prophet. We could ask the Lord through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, but something bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

As the story goes, sure enough as Ahab predicted, Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, told them they should not go into battle. He warned them that if they did, Ahab would die and, despite having joined forces, the Israel/Judah coalition would be defeated. Because they didn’t like the answer, they ignored it and went into battle anyway. And guess what: Micaiah was right. Aram won the battle decisively. Further, Ahab’s reign and life came to shameful end.

While there’s a myriad of lessons to be learned here, let me point out just a few that I pray will help you in some way in the near future:

• There are many voices out there that claim to be prophetic. Especially with the internet literally at your fingertips, you’ll run into numerous opinions. They will often be certified and respected. They will be loud. They will be convincing. And most of all, they will speak for the majority. None of that in any way means that they are right.
• There will always be someone who will tell you what you want to hear. Our inclination is to keep scrolling for opinions until we find one that suits us – you know, that agrees with us. The problem with this comes when it solidifies the wrong beliefs, actions, direction, or attitude that God is trying to save us from. Remember Paul’s warning to Timothy about this exact thing (II Timothy 4:3-4).
• There will be times when you will have to choose between what is right and what is popular. Ahab HATED Micaiah. Why? Because he kept doing the wrong thing? No, exactly the opposite. Because Micaiah insisted on doing and saying what was right.
• Popular or not, God’s Word will always be proven right. You may be tempted to go in a direction that seems successful or wise or right or normal or the list goes on. But my friends, if it goes against God’s Word, the consequences will be tragic. God and His Word has never been proven wrong. Don’t be foolish enough to think that you’ll do so now.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Lane