10 Things God Has Taught Me Since Joining Grace Community Church

        Below is a list of things God has taught me since he graciously brought our family to Grace Community Church in Waverly, Ohio.  I'm so thankful for the continued growth we have experienced in this local body of believers.  Christ is so faithful to draw us to himself and to teach us his truth through his holy Scriptures.

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• ·         From start to finish, Salvation is of—and directed by—the Lord
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• ·         My salvation is secure forever because it depends on Christ’s saving work on the cross, and not anything I have done or will do
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• ·         Those who continue trusting and loving Christ, present tense, will be saved in the end
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• ·         Before the world was made, God elected and predestined those who would become his people
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• ·         Christ’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection  fully accomplished the work of saving all of his people
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• ·         As God’s people were commanded to obey his law perfectly, so all people today are required to obey God’s commands
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• ·         God’s sovereign hand rules over all events that take place, both good and evil, to accomplish his purposes for his glory
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• ·         Salvation is not a life-improvement plan but a resurrection: Christ-initiated Salvation results in the dead being brought to life
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• ·         Sinners, of their own volition, are unable and unwilling to come to Christ without a work being fully initiated by the triune God
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• ·         Believers are called to be a faithful and active part of, to submit to, and to enjoy a local biblical church body through committed membership

Thanks Be To God: A New Year

Here it is, April 24, 2012.  I haven't posted for quite a while now.  Reading through older posts really presents a picture of the highlights and deep struggles of the last year.  I remember how God's keeping hand has guided our family through this past year.  I can be nothing but thankful as I look back and as I look forward with my hope fully placed in Jesus Christ.

For nearly a year, our family has been faithfully attending a small church in Waverly, OH (Grace Community Church).  I praise God that he has led us to this body of believers where we are hearing and growing because of the preached and taught Word of God (expositionally, of coarse!).  I am filled to the brim with such joy as I realize how much God has allowed us to grow in Christ.  I am also anticipating the day when we are accepted as members of Grace Community Church.  I feel like we are about to be adopted!  I am looking forward to the communion, fellowship, and accountability of the saints.  My soul desires to continue to put off earthly desires and put on Christ, as I decrease and Christ increases.

Lastly, I am still endlessly challenged by God's holy Word.  There are several weak areas in the life of our family that are in need of Sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit.  While I understand that there is never to be a "plateau" in our growth and conformity to Christ, I know that I cannot manufacture spiritual growth; only God, in his loving and sovereign purpose and for his glory, grants knowledge and growth in his Son.  I see the need for my marriage to reflect Christ so much more than it does, our children to be taught more of the statutes and wonders of God, and the need for me to grow into the strong and compassionate leader of our home (which God has called me to).

Thanks be to God, who has called us and keeps us.  Thanks be to Jesus Christ, who has secured our salvation by way of the Cross.  Thank God for the atoning sacrifice of his Son!

Blessings to all who might read this.

Please Be Clear

I recently purchased a Christian performance track which I thought would be a good song to sing at church, based loosely on having listened to this song on the radio a few times. Without going into a bashing session of a particular artist or song, there was simply no reference to Jesus Christ or God in the song, leaving the listener's interpretation open for questions. It really bothers me that there should be any room left to wonder what a song from a Christ-follower is really trying to say. Those in Christ have a central theme in every daily activity, no matter how small, and that theme is Jesus Christ. Having stated these things, here is my stand on this issue:

1. The gospel of Jesus Christ is of first importance in any activity to which the word "ministry" is attached. If there is no Christ in the message, the message is watered down to just a feel-good set of worthless words, and a powerless God of the listener's own liking is created based on his/her own interpretations. The world doesn't need another powerless, do-it-yourself God, the world needs the saving power of Jesus Christ, who actually saves from sin and eternal judgment because he died in my place on the cross. If one has experienced the overwhelming grace and saving power of Christ, it is all you can do to keep it hidden, it comes out in the form of floods of living waters!

2. Songs of worship should be clear about who/what is being proclaimed/worshipped. It continues to be very important that the messages put forward by Christians are crystal clear. Proclaim Jesus, and use his name while proclaiming him. Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and the goodness of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Every good thing comes from God, and he is worthy of all glory and praise.

Hello, I am George's mother . I recently was going through some old papers and found the following short story . It was written several years ago by George. I thought this would be a great place to share it. I Hope you enjoy it. God Bless,
Pamela Stone Coder


RAISIN BRAN

Life is much like a nice large bowl of raisin bran cereal. Although raisins are certainly, in my opinion, why one chooses to eat this breakfast treat, the soggy flakes must be consumed also.

Digging through the cereal to accumulate raisins on my spoon,I thought about in life how I preferr the good times, the "raisins" trying to avoid discomfort at all cost. Anyone who has lived any number of years at all knows that avoiding all discomforts is impossible in this carnal, imperfect world.

The central point is that one cannot fully enjoy the "raisins" without having to wade through the soggy flakes. Hard times make one appreciate the easier times.

As a Christian, one must endure many hardships along with many victories. To be a Christian, at its very core, is to gothrough what Christ went through, to identify with the life and character of Christ. Christ said His followers would suffer just as He had. The "raisins" that Christians receive are joy, peace, hope, love, faith, and most importantly, eternal life! These spiritual raisins are many times produced by the endurance of tribulations and sufferings.

Thus, the Christian must ask the question; Is this life about the "raisins" at all? I would think the answer would be a resounding "no". This life is about wading through the soggy flakes to one day reach the raisin factory! Think about it.

I Am What I Am, By God's Grace

I Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.


The passage of scripture above has been a theme for me in the past couple weeks. In my typical fear of using the talent/s God gave me I began to worry about an upcoming singing practice at my church. God, in his amazing and unsearchable ways set up a time and place for me to be both challenged and encouraged. I came upon the passage above quite by God’s plan, through a devotional text from Oswald Chambers. There are two truths that came to light for me as this spiritual feast was laid on the table:
1. By God’s grace I am what I am
I am, at this very moment, not a failure, not second-rate, not unlovable, but I am God’s child, I’m exactly where God wants me to be, in fact, I have so many blessings for which to be thankful. To continually say that I do not have a good voice, that I am not a winner, that I do not deserve God’s love etc., is to say that God’s grace is not sufficient for me and that the power of Salvation in Christ is not powerful enough for me. It is by God’s grace that I am at this place in my life, and it is God’s perfect will that, having Salvation by and through Jesus Christ, I accept where he has placed me and how he is growing me. Does the God who formed the worlds of the universe at the sound of his voice not also have the power to pull me out of the despair of sin, cleanse me from every stain, and declare me righteous in his sight? Absolutely. I belong to God, and no weapon formed against me will prosper!
2. Time to examine myself: Pride
If I had read the above passage at a glance, there is no possible way I could end up at a place of bringing to light my own pride and unbelief. It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit and God’s love for me that would pierce the very hidden places of my heart to reveal hidden things. You see, as I continue to doubt and place limitations on this child of God, the root causes of pride, unbelief, and fear rise to the top. Without God, I can do nothing, we’ve established this, in that I am what I am, only by the grace of God. But what I tend to forget is what can be done WITH GOD. The answer is everything. There is nothing I CAN’T do when God is on my side. It becomes a kind of pride when I don’t accept that God can do anything through me, according to his good will and purpose for me. One might say it is humble to say, “I’m not very good at that, I’m just going to stay in the background”, or maybe this sounds familiar, “I’m not a very good speaker”. What would have happened if Moses refused to heed the calling of God? The fact is that God calls and uses common people to do great things. When we don’t trust God and allow him to do what he pleases in us, it is a kind of pride, as if to say, “God, I don’t really believe you are powerful enough to do these things”.

God is so good to have both lifted me up to bring encouragement and reprove me for the unbelief and pride in my heart. I can do nothing without him, and that’s okay, because everything that a servant of Jesus Christ does in the name of Jesus Christ is also done by the power and grace of Jesus Christ. Every gift of talent, knowledge, wisdom, confidence, and anything else that is Godly and good is from the Lord. I must only be willing to be a vessel for use and place my trust in God. God’s power and sovereignty does not depend on my abilities or lack thereof. His plan is perfect and I am thankful to be saved from the bondage of sin today.

May this serve as an encouragement to you today as you seek to follow Jesus in all things. God Bless You.

Who Defines You?

I Corinthians 4: 3-4 "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgement: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord."

There are three main themes that have shone through this passage to me today. The central truth is to allow God to define who I am, not others, and not even myself.

1. Don't allow the judgements and labels of others to define your self-worth.
Too many times I have taken the words of others as truth concerning who I am. I believe, in the power of Jesus Christ, we can be strong in the face of the harsh words and judgements of others. Though such words may hit with strong force, we will be able to allow them to deflect in the light of knowing who we really are in Jesus Christ.
2. Don't allow the accolades and praise of men to define you, thus allowing pride to make you think that your abilities apart from Jesus Christ are granting success. As followers of Christ, we must defer all honor and glory to God. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being..." (Acts 17:28). I truly believe that God grants every single heartbeat in our lives.
A Personal Note: When I was a younger believer, probably at the fresh age of 15, I commented to my mother about people really seeming to be drawn to me and my love for the Bible and my knowledge for my age at the time, etc. My mother explained that people would be drawn to the Jesus who lives inside of me, and to not confuse who they were drawn to- "It's Jesus, George, not you". Those words stuck with me. My mother was exactly right. Every single good thing in which I've had involvement was and is a result of the Grace and Purpose of Jesus Christ. To my own strength there can be no praise given.
3. Don't allow your own thoughts and judgements concerning yourself define who you are and your value to God. Study and concentrate on what God says in His Word about your value. How God truly loves you! No other opinion, no other judgement, and no other statement of value really matters except the voice of the One who made you and made a way for you to have life more abundantly.

It's A New Year: Resolutions For Christians?

I called my mother today to wish her a Happy New Year, and jokingly, I asked what her resolutions were for the coming year. Her response was, "I don't see New Year's resolutions anywhere in the Bible". I gathered that she must have heard a message recently criticizing resolutions. This really stirred up a lot of thought inside me. Should Christians make resolutions for the new year? Is it wrong to make resolutions for the coming year? Especially lately, I have seasoned my internal questions with, "What does the Bible say?", and have not been disappointed with the answers I have found. I hold the Bible as my guide for life and the key to my need for answers on everything from forgiveness to marital relationships.



Concerning resolutions for the new year, I cannot find that the Bible mentions anything specifically. The Bible does, however, contain records of major events that took place yearly. The one event that I want to highlight is contained in the Old Testament of the Bible, Leviticus Chapter 16. The Bible talks about an Atonement which God commanded to take place once every year (on the 10th day of October, I believe). This was an event in which an appointed High Priest would go into the innermost portion of God's Tabernacle, called the Holy Place, to make offerings for the sins of Israel to God. No man was allowed to enter this area, save for once a year. Leviticus gives a very detailed account of what was required to make sacrifices for the sins of the people, right down to what the priest could wear and what animals were to be used. At one step in the Atonement, the priest would lay his hands on the head of a live goat and confess over him the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of all the people of Israel. What a daunting task! Could you imagine trying to recount the sins of a whole nation? And now the better plan...



This event detailed in Leviticus was a form of what Jesus Christ would later do once and for all. Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to make the final Atonement for the sins of not only Israel, but the world. Even before the foundations of the world, this plan was in place. Instead of making sacrifices for the covering up of sins until the following year, Jesus Christ, perfect in all ways, would become the final sacrifice for sin, and not merely for a covering up of sin, but for the erasing of sin. The book of Hebrews outlines a new covenant (or promise) by God through Jesus Christ in which an earthly priest is no longer necessary because Jesus Christ is forever our High Priest in Heaven. No longer would people have to go to other people to get to God, there is now only one way: Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:11-15 "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." WOW!! Praise God for the final redemptive work of Jesus Christ!!



Okay, at this point I'm almost sure you are wondering: How in the world does this relate to New Year's resolutions? I'm getting there. You see, in the early times, people could look forward to a new start, or a new year (if you will), after the Atonement. If I would have been alive during those times, I would have felt pretty good after that Atonement, like I had been given a blank slate with which to write better things on for the coming year, and forget about the mistakes and sins of last year. But with a new and better way through Jesus Christ, we are cleansed and spotless through His blood, and as the year 2009 begins, I can know that my sins have been forgiven and I have been set free from death and have eternal life! Most importantly, I am no longer separated from God, and am restored to a right standing before him.



What is the most important resolution to be made regardless of what time of year? Think about it. Until next time, God Bless...