And they were astonished at His doctrine for His word was with power.
Here in Luke 4, after His baptism by John and the wilderness temptation, Jesus sets out to fulfill His earthly ministry. Even though His home town forsakes Him (verses 16-30), He continues on and every other place He goes receives His preaching. The people are moved by His miracles, His casting out of demons, and His words to them. By Luke 4:37, the word of all that Jesus has done reaches "every place of the country round about." The Messiah has come! He is tangible, visible for mankind to see. God has fulfilled th Old Testament prophecies before their very eyes. His Word is as powerful today as it was when He walked the earth. Perhaps He has a mircle for you this year. Expect it, and look for Him to do something dynamic in your life- something that will make you an M.V.P. in His Kingdom.
Pastor John
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
This verse speaks of God's love and plans for each of us. To be "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" means we are made in Christ's image and we are to take on His Character. Our salvation is the result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and our own repentance of sins. So, this verse is not only about our lives here on earth, but also about our eternity. God eternally chose us. According to Ephesians 1:3, God "has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." In other words, before God ever created us, He had a plan for our eternal existence in His mind. You and I are not merely a divine afterthought. We are fearfully and wonderfully made to bless God, so that He in turn can bless us beyond what we can imagine. Pastor John
This verse speaks of God's love and plans for each of us. To be "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" means we are made in Christ's image and we are to take on His Character. Our salvation is the result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and our own repentance of sins. So, this verse is not only about our lives here on earth, but also about our eternity. God eternally chose us. According to Ephesians 1:3, God "has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." In other words, before God ever created us, He had a plan for our eternal existence in His mind. You and I are not merely a divine afterthought. We are fearfully and wonderfully made to bless God, so that He in turn can bless us beyond what we can imagine. Pastor John
Luke 3:32
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
This scripture is a continuation of Simeon's earlier words: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people..." As he took the Baby Jesus in his arms, Simeon knew that God had kept His promise to him, to Israel and to the world. He saw salvation in a baby - a person. Salvation is a person, not something that you do. Salvation is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. You either have Him or you don't have Him. You either trust Him, or you don't trust Him. Do you know Jesus as your Salvation? You can know Him before you leave church today if there's any doubt in your mind. Pastor John
This scripture is a continuation of Simeon's earlier words: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people..." As he took the Baby Jesus in his arms, Simeon knew that God had kept His promise to him, to Israel and to the world. He saw salvation in a baby - a person. Salvation is a person, not something that you do. Salvation is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. You either have Him or you don't have Him. You either trust Him, or you don't trust Him. Do you know Jesus as your Salvation? You can know Him before you leave church today if there's any doubt in your mind. Pastor John
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is LIBERTY!
In our first week of the READ Initiative we have seen God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit mentioned in Genesis 1, the first chapter of the bible:
"In the beginning God (the Father).... Genesis 1:1
"...and the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) moved..." Genesis 1:2
"And God said, Let us (The Father and the Son) make man in our image..." Genesis 1:26.
God wanted us to see the work of the Trinity from the very beginning. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were present and working then, throughout the Old and New Testaments, and still today. My prayer is that this year you will pursue God as never before. We will be a dynamic church as we allow the Holy Spirt to revitalize our spirits! Pastor John
In our first week of the READ Initiative we have seen God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit mentioned in Genesis 1, the first chapter of the bible:
"In the beginning God (the Father).... Genesis 1:1
"...and the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) moved..." Genesis 1:2
"And God said, Let us (The Father and the Son) make man in our image..." Genesis 1:26.
God wanted us to see the work of the Trinity from the very beginning. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were present and working then, throughout the Old and New Testaments, and still today. My prayer is that this year you will pursue God as never before. We will be a dynamic church as we allow the Holy Spirt to revitalize our spirits! Pastor John
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Luke 1:46
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord...
Luke 1:46 is the first verse of what is known as Mary's Magnificat, the song of praise in which Mary glorifies God for granting her the blessing of being the mother of the Messiah. Here, in one of the darkest times in Israel's history, Mary has reason to sing praise to God. The fact that the Jewish people are under Roman bondage, the fact that she is poor, the fact that she lives in a small, obscure village....None of this bothers her. She is going to be the mother of God's Son! In Luke 1:49 Mary says, "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." Deeply moved and extremely excited, she proclaims these words with all her soul. Today I hope you are moved to the point that you, too can say "my soul doth magnify the Lord." Pastor John
Luke 1:46 is the first verse of what is known as Mary's Magnificat, the song of praise in which Mary glorifies God for granting her the blessing of being the mother of the Messiah. Here, in one of the darkest times in Israel's history, Mary has reason to sing praise to God. The fact that the Jewish people are under Roman bondage, the fact that she is poor, the fact that she lives in a small, obscure village....None of this bothers her. She is going to be the mother of God's Son! In Luke 1:49 Mary says, "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." Deeply moved and extremely excited, she proclaims these words with all her soul. Today I hope you are moved to the point that you, too can say "my soul doth magnify the Lord." Pastor John
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Luke 1:37
The first chapter of Luke is full of miracles. God had been silent for over 400 years before the events Luke describes. Now, all of the sudden, God dispatches the Archangel Gabriel to herald the amazing news to Zacharias, Elizabeth and Mary concerning the births of their sons. God is miraculously at work again! This time He is bringing the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. We are at the threshold of a New Testament and the Messiah is coming to bring salvation to the world. Think about the impossible things that become possible at the beginning of God's new dispensation! In Luke 1 alone, a barren couple, stricken in years, is having a baby! A Virgin conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God will soon be born! The good news of the Gospel is coming to light up a dark world! The words of Luke 1:37 are from Gabriel, who has been in the very throne room of God and knows the truth of all that God can do. They are still a comfort to all who know Christ...God makes the impossible possible! Pastor John
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Luke 1:4
...to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught.
In this passage Luke, the blessed physician, addresses a friend about the life and gospel of Jesus. His purpose is to express all he can to make sure that Theophilus, his addressee, is informed and knows the truth. Theophilus is obviously a good friend of Luke's. His name literally means "a friend who loves God." Luke most likely gathered much of his information from Matthew and Mark's writings. He had never traveled with Jesus but was knowledgeable of the gospel and wated to accentuate every truth he could gather. The Gospel of Luke is a perfect example of how God moves upon people to do great things for His kingdom. Luke's literary works (his gospel and the Book of Acts) comprise one quarter of the New Testament. He was good friends with Paul who wrote more books of the bible than any other writer. Luke, however, wrote more volume...and it's interesting to note that Luke is the only non-Jewish Biblical author.
Pastor John
In this passage Luke, the blessed physician, addresses a friend about the life and gospel of Jesus. His purpose is to express all he can to make sure that Theophilus, his addressee, is informed and knows the truth. Theophilus is obviously a good friend of Luke's. His name literally means "a friend who loves God." Luke most likely gathered much of his information from Matthew and Mark's writings. He had never traveled with Jesus but was knowledgeable of the gospel and wated to accentuate every truth he could gather. The Gospel of Luke is a perfect example of how God moves upon people to do great things for His kingdom. Luke's literary works (his gospel and the Book of Acts) comprise one quarter of the New Testament. He was good friends with Paul who wrote more books of the bible than any other writer. Luke, however, wrote more volume...and it's interesting to note that Luke is the only non-Jewish Biblical author.
Pastor John
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