Hello Everyone,

Have you ever thought why would God would use such a simplistic tool like baptism to teach us this?
Because God knows we are a visual people. And it helps to have something visual like this when we’re struggling in our faith.

What does God want us to learn from our baptism.
First of all whenever we’re faced with the guilt and temptation of the past we need to mentally revisit our baptism and say to Satan
“Satan, you get out of here, because there lie my sins. Don’t you be bringing them up again, because they’re forgiven.”

Being reborn is something that God does in us. The power for new birth comes from the blood of Jesus.

And because this new life comes from God - and not from ourselves - the changes in our lives will only be truly effective when we look to Jesus and not ourselves for the strength to overcome our failures.

Baptismal Statement

I take God to be my chief end and highest good.

I take God the Son (Jesus Christ) to be my prince and Savoir.

I take God the Holy Spirit to be my Sanctifier, Teacher, Guide, and Comforter.

I take the Word of God to be my rule in all my actions and the family of God to be my people under all conditions.

I do hereby dedicate, and devote to the Lord all that I am, all the I have, and all that I can do.

And this I do deliberately, freely, and forever.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Part of the reason Jesus has to start from scratch is that…in our OLD way of living, we had a warped way of thinking.

Paul points that out when he asks the question:
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Romans 6:1

Romans 6 – he asks the question (my paraphrase)
“If God loves to forgive us our sins… why don’t we sin a lot and make God really happy?”

That’s the way we would have thought in our old way of life.
For many of us, the object of life (back then) was to find out how close to the edge we could live w/o getting caught.
AND SO (we would reason) if I’m now free from the past… and God loves forgiving me… why I can just go out live like I used to and whenever the guilt of life gets too far out of hand, I can just come back to God and get some of that forgiveness He likes to hand out.

Now, you might say: nobody thinks like that!!!
Yeah… they do

A lot of people aren’t so bold to say it… but by their actions it is exactly what they believe:
They come to church on Sunday… but on Monday… well, you fill in the blank

That’s not to say that God doesn’t forgive us when we stumble in our faith. He loves us so much that He DOES desire to forgive us whenever we repent.
We shouldn’t allow ourselves to abuse God’s kindness to us.

But Paul knew that’s how some of us might think… and so he said:
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Romans 6:1
Hey! If God loves to forgive us… let’s sin a lot so that God can really be happy!

Then Paul writes:
“By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:2-4

In other words, Paul is saying “Think! When you became a Christian did you die to your past??? (Yeah you did) Well, what do you do with dead things? You bury them!

So… when you died to sin, you were buried in the water of baptism.
But you didn’t stay buried. Because, then you were lifted out of the water as if you were rising from the dead. AND when you rose up from that grave of water – a new man is rising from the dead.
Jesus had given you new life.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

The Word of God in Romans 5 & 6 is telling us that The Lord DOESN’T want the building we’ve made of our lives… He wants the site
He doesn’t want our plans for our lives… He wants our heart
When we became Believers, Jesus started from scratch… from the ground up.

Look at Romans 6:3-4 “… all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

In order to be a Believer you have to die…
- you have to die to your past
- you have to die to the way you used to live
- you have to die to the way you used to think
And when you die to your past… then Jesus can raise you up and give you a new heart and a new mind. And He can give a new way of living and thinking.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

With Jan. 1st just around the corner, many people are thinking about New Year’s resolutions.
An article a couple of years ago listed the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions:
#5: stop smoking

#4: make more money,
#3: improve relationships
#2: exercise more
#1 most popular New Years resolution… losing weight.

All these resolutions are saying one thing: I want to be different than I am.

I want to gain control of an area of my life and, if I could just get control of this one part of my life… I could be truly happy. I could be a new person.

The problem, of course with New Year’s resolutions… they are rarely effective. Somewhere along the line, our determination to keep those resolutions gets buried under time and our own lack of will power.

Now Jesus has something to say about change - about becoming new inside.
Jesus said: “Behold, I make all things new….” Revelation 21:5

And Paul agreed with that “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

What the Bible teaches us is: Jesus gives us the power to change.
The power to become a new creation AND the power to change begins when we first become Christians.

Look with me at Romans 5:6 –
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still POWERLESS, Christ died for the ungodly.”

What does Paul mean – we were powerless?
Before we became Christians, didn’t we have the power and the inner strength to change and improve our lives???
Well… yeah!

The problem was… all of the improvements we made to our lives were like putting new windows and doors on a rundown house. The improvements were great ideas… but they didn’t increase the value of who we were.

When Jesus saved us… He didn’t want to rearrange the furniture of our lives and repaint the walls… No! When Jesus saved us, He wanted to start from scratch.

I read about a man who was selling an old warehouse. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Gangs had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and thrown trash everywhere.
As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.
The buyer smiled and said “Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different. I don’t want the building; I want the site.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

The Angel also said that the Savior is Christ.

“Which is Christ” The Anointed.

“The Lord” The Supreme, eternal being the ruler of the Heavens and Earth.

We all will be exchanging gifts the next couple of days watching the faces of those that we give to see if they react with joy.

What was God’s gift to us?

First thing we all would most likely say, “He gave His only begotten Son” and we would be right. He gave us that and so much more.

Through the Son He gave us also LOVE, JOY, PEACE.

1. He gave us the opportunity for forgiveness of our sins.

a. We will never have peace with our fellow man until we first have peace with ourselves.

b. And we can never really have peace with ourselves until we are at peace with God.

c. And we can never be at peace with God until our sins have been forgiven.

2. God also gave us Hope for the future.

You know what kept the shepherds going? It was hope.

God had made a promise that He would one day send the Messiah, The Anointed One.

And when the Messiah came everything would be all right again.

And that hope burned in the hearts and lives of the people of Israel.

You know what kept the wise men going? It was hope.

Every night they would go out and search the skies looking for that star of promise.

They knew when they saw it they must follow wherever it led them, because it was a sign from God and it promised the birth of a King.

So hope kept them going.

God brings hope to us at Christmas.

It sounds like an impossible dream: “Peace on earth, good will toward men”

Maybe there will always be wars and rumors of wars.

Maybe the poor will always be hungry.

Maybe we will always have to deal with crime, violence and terrorist.

But there is one thing to keep us going.

One day Heaven is going to open, and that One who came as a baby many years ago will split the eastern sky and we will live and reign with Him forever!

Peace and goodwill will be ours forever!

Oh How HE Loves Us!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Teresa and I both Love You All!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

The Angel said: “Behold, I bring you good tidings.”

He did not come to declare the judgment of God, but His merciful loving kindness, and to declare a message of great JOY!!

And this message is to all people, to the inhabitants of the whole earth.

“All People”

Genesis 12:3 “Promise to Abraham”: “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

God’s plan from the beginning has been GLOBAL a message of joy to all the families of the earth.

“A Savoir” Our Greatest Need:

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

Our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savoir.

One who frees us from all sin! The One who is the author of our salvation.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Read with me: Luke 2:10, 11

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

What a wonderful message the angel delivered that night so long ago.

A Savoir has been born, and the good news was to be for ALL THE PEOPLE.

During the Christmas season and throughout the coming year, we must continue to take this message of HOPE, JOY, to ALL PEOPLE.

It’s Christmas time and Lucy comes in where Charlie Brown is standing and says “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown Tis the season of peace on earth and good will toward men. Therefore I suggest we forget all our differences and love one another.”

Charlie Brown whose face lights up at this says, “That’s wonderful Lucy, I’m so glad you said that but tell me, do we have to love each other only at this season of the year? Why can’t we love each other all year long? Lucy retorts “What are you, a fanatic or something?”

Why can’t we spread this message of good tidings of great joy year around?

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Look at Luke 2:38 “...she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

God wants each one of us to become messengers of the Christmas story.

Christmas is a marvelous, moving, message! How can we not find what we’ve been looking for? And, how can we keep quiet about it? Once you have the Son, you have everything.

Puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? The message is the same this Christmas. Because of the Father’s love…whoever takes the Son gets it all.

Will you take Him this Christmas?

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

When Joseph and Mary tried to process everything that was happening, Luke 2:33 says that they marveled at what was said about Jesus. According to the dictionary, to become a marveler is to be filled with wonder, astonishment, and surprise.

This can be a dangerous time of the year for us. Our annual celebration of Christmas can immunize us to its reality. We hear just enough of the story each year to inoculate us against the real thing, so that we never really catch true Christmas fever.

Recapture the marvel of Christmas.

Take a look at verse 27: “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.” Now drop down to verse 38: “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God...”

Both Simeon and Anna were movers. When the Holy Spirit prompted them to move, they didn’t sit still. Every one of the Christmas characters responded to the Spirit’s leading ­ with the exception of Herod:

Mary was ready to move when she said to the angel, “May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 2:38)

Joseph demonstrated that he was a mover when he woke up from his dream and “...did what the angel of the Lord had commanded and took Mary home as his wife.” (Matthew 1:24)

The Shepherds were movers also when they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened...” (Luke 2:15)

The wise men saw the star and moved out of their comfort zone to find the King of Christmas.

When God prompts you to do something, then you need to do it. Don’t procrastinate when God prompts you to do something -- you may miss out on a miracle.

You can’t stay neutral about Jesus. You are either for Him or against Him. You’re moving closer to Him, or further away. You either have the Son or you don’t.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

When Jesus came, He provided the very things that Simeon and Anna were waiting for -- God’s comfort and His forgiveness. Let me ask you a question. What are you waiting for this Christmas? Whatever it is, Jesus can give it to you.

Can any of you identify with Simeon today? Some of you are really hurting right now. You feel lonely, empty, afraid, and maxed out. Do you need some comfort?

Do you need a fresh sense of God’s presence? If so, you can find what you’re looking for in Jesus. He came to console us right where we’re at.

Or, do you identify more with Anna? Are you overwhelmed with guilt this Christmas because of something you’ve done or the way you’ve been living?

Do you feel like you’re trapped in a pattern of sin that you can’t break out of? If you need forgiveness, Jesus can give it to you today. I can think of no better time than Christmas to do just that.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

We’re introduced to Simeon in Luke 2:25. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.” Simeon was righteous before people, and he was devout in His relationship with God.

Verse 26 shows us that Simeon had good reason for his hope and anticipation: “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ would bring.

When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus, now about 6 weeks old, he knew that God’s promise had been kept. Here was Immanuel, “God With Us,”.

Verse 28 of Luke 2 says that Simeon reached down and took Jesus out of Mary’s arms and began to praise God.

As he broke out into praise, he acknowledged that God had not only fulfilled the individual promise to him, but also the promises of the prophets to send the Anointed One to comfort both Jews and Gentiles.

The other Christmas Character waiting with anticipation was Anna. After her husband had died, she had dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple. In fact, the Bible says that she never left the temple ­ but worshipped day and night.

Instead of looking for comfort, Anna was looking for forgiveness. Take a look at verse 38: “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

The word redemption is related to the idea of captivity.

The Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate redemption and the symbol of God’s power to release captives. Passover pointed ahead to that day when God would provide deliverance from the slavery of sin.

When Anna saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for redemption. Here, at last, was the One who would save His people from their sins.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Let me ask you some questions. What are you waiting for this Christmas? Are you longing for anything? What are you expecting to receive? Are you looking forward to anything special this Christmas?

In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna.

They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards, but they are significant players in the first Christmas pageant. Both of these individuals were waiting for something -- actually, they were waiting for someone.

Luke uses a Greek word of anticipation that identifies them says they were waiting with expectation for the coming of the Messiah, or Savior. It literally means that they were “alert to His appearance, and ready to welcome Him.” We see this word in Luke 2:25 in reference to Simeon where we read that “He was waiting...” and in 2:38 to describe a woman named Anna who was, “...looking forward to...”

Are you waiting or looking forward to something? This week we will be looking into Simeon’s and Anna’s part in the Christmas drama and see how we also can expectantly enter into this Christmas season.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

If you’re searching for Jesus today, don’t look in the cradle -- the cradle is empty. If you’re searching for Jesus today don’t look at the cross -- He is no longer there. If you seek the Lord today, don’t stoop to examine the tomb -- for it stands forever vacant -- an everlasting memorial to the Resurrected Lord!

If you’re searching for Jesus turn your eyes heavenward.

STEPHEN saw Him standing at the right hand of God;

PAUL heard His voice thunder from Heaven while on the Damascus road;

ISAIAH saw Him sitting on His throne, high and lifted up;

DANIEL saw Him reigning as the "Ancient of Days";

THE PSALMIST saw Him riding on the wings of the wind;

and JOHN THE REVELATOR saw Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, unto whom is due all power, and glory and honor and praise!

He came as a babe to a cradle, but now He wears a crown.

The cross was once an object of shame, but now it has become a symbol of His GLORY!

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Listen, the cross was not the end --- it was only the beginning!! Make no mistake about it, Jesus Christ reigns! Our text declares that "... at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".

Jesus Christ is a conqueror. He never leads to defeat. He never commands a retreat from or surrender to Satan.

He is a conqueror in heaven: "Every knee should bow ... in heaven". He is a conqueror on earth. "Every knee should bow ... on earth".

(Dan 7:13-14) “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Paul said in (1 Cor. 15:24, 25): Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

Christ is the conqueror in HELL. "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow ... things under the earth".

Matthew tells us how the devils, as Jesus came close, begged Him not to torment them before their time.

They understood that every tongue shall confess that He is Lord!! And that their days were numbered.

All hail the power of Jesus name
Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of All!!

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Jesus was born with the shadow of the cross on Him. With the shadow of the Cross on His heart He learned to walk, He learned to talk, He learned to work.

The shadow of the Cross was on:

1. The Bethlehem swaddling clothes.
2. The walls of the carpenter shop.
3. Gethsemane’s garden.
4. Him when they came with lanterns and torches to arrest the light of the world.
5. Him when Judas betrayed Him with a kiss
6. Him when Caiaphas condemned Him
7. Him when Herod mocked Him
8. Him when Pilate condemned Him
9. Him when the Roman soldiers whipped Him
10. Him when they crucified Him

The Cross was the cruelest instrument of death known to man.

Suspended between heaven and earth, the victim of the Cross waited helplessly for death.

After a matter of hours on the cross, the victim would look forward to the arrival of death, to be relieved of his awful pain and suffering.

There was only one way to come down from the cross, and that was by the hands of those who were appointed to carry you to your grave.

Such horror associated with the cross. The Hebrew writings gave this warning: "Cursed is the man that hangeth on the tree".

The cross was hell on earth!

Yet, Jesus, God’s Son was born under the shadow of the Cross!

All the challenges of His life would vanish in significance when compared to the challenge of the Cross.

In the garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father to "let this cup" pass from Him if there might be another solution to the sin problem.

Still, He committed Himself to the will of God. Scripture tells us He "endured the cross, despising the shame ..."

I doubt we will ever fully understand the awfulness of Christ’s crucifixion.

At Calvary we find the CREATOR being put to death at the hands of the CREATION.

Let me make it even plainer: The sins of Phillip Sears caused Jesus Christ to be crucified. It was my sins that caused Him to go through such torment.

A debt had to be paid --- one I was unable to.

Is it any wonder then, that the great Apostle Paul said "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world"!

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello everyone,

Jesus Christ was born in a manger to common parents. Common, that is by human standards.

While the birth of a child would normally bring great rejoicing, the joy this birth would bring is to be short lived. We know this child was born to die!

I can see this little Baby, laying "Away in A Manger". Here lies, in a manger, "Immanuel" - God with us. Here He lays -- God’s great gift to mankind; Here He lays -- the perfect Sacrificial Lamb; Here He lays -- the Savoir of the world; Here He lays -- a baby born to die!

"But why", someone might ask "why was this baby born to die?" The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3 "Christ died for our sins ...." There’s the answer --- OUR SINS.

Sin, - the power that reversed man’s nature, and destroyed the harmony of his powers. These 3 little letters can sum up the need for the cradle: S-I-N!

And in the midst of the sin of the world is plunged a perfect answer to our sin problem in the form of a Baby called Jesus!

A star shone brightly on the night of Christ’s birth, but if we look closely, we can see a Cross in the shadows!

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Philippians 2:5-11

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷ but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

R. G. Lee, a preacher once wrote: “There never was another Who caused all creation to be ransacked in pursuit of words appropriate to convey to human hearts and minds His glorious pre-eminence. There never was another Who was a human child and also a divine Son; Who was wounded by Satan and Who, at the same time crushed Satan; Who was appointed the Savior of men, yet was crucified by men; Who was Judge of men; yet was led as a felon from one tribunal to another.

There never was another Who died and was buried and yet lived; Who saved others and Himself could not save; Who had no sin in Him, yet all sin on Him; Who was the King of Glory, yet wore no crown but a crown of thorns; Who, in the glory He had with God before the world was, had the angelic hails of heaven and yet, on earth, gave Himself to the murderous nails of men!

There never was another Who was the Prince of life, yet died on Calvary; Who was as old as His heavenly Father and ages older than His earthly mother.

There never was another Who was the victim of a Roman cross and victor at a Jewish grave.

There never was another Who poured all seas, all lakes, all rivers out of the crystal chalices of eternity, yet on a cross said with a mouth hot like a parched desert that cries for rain, ‘I thirst’”.

Our text tells us that God has given Jesus a name far above every name. He is the Righteous, Risen, Reigning Christ!

I want to look at the ministry of Jesus in 3 stages this week. "The Cradle, The Cross and The Crown"!

See you tomorrow.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

The good news is that while we were in that state of ignorance, Christ still loved us & invited us to come under His guidance and protection. His path – His rules – His ways lead to true peace and freedom.

While we were bound up in our own life’s pursuits – unaware of our spiritual vulnerability – He provided a way to come under His protection…in order to experience true freedom!

Romans 5:8 provides so much encouragement and hope to those who are right now living a life unaware of their spiritual vulnerability.
⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Bible tells us to put our trust in Jesus Christ when it comes to issues of the heart!
The Bible teaches that there is no other source of spiritual stability than in Christ.

In Philippians 4:6-7, I want to make two observations for you that will show how much we need to rely on Christ – His path, His rules, His way:

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Notice two things:
First Jesus Christ can protect your heart & mind!

The word “guard” means “to garrison” or “to place a fortified wall” around your heart & mind.

Christ is able to protect you from emotional things that if you were left on your own would tear you apart! Christ can offer you calm in the midst of a stormy world.
“Jesus Christ is the one who can protect your heart & mind.” But the second observation in this verse is:

You can’t!
I know this is a simple and obvious observation – but we need this principle to sink in! Notice verse 6 “…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”

IF YOU could have been able to handle it on your own, the Bible would have said “FIND THE POWER WITHIN YOURSELF to protect your heart & mind!”…but you can’t do it on your own!!! Notice the words “in everything!”

If you can begin to imagine a world without Christ…you are forced to imagine a world to where the “buck stops with you” when it comes to emotional, physical, and spiritual stability! No one to run to – no one to pray to – no one to consult that is wiser than you. “YOU” is all you got…and you know what, I don’t have that much confidence in me.

The thing that we must understand is that in a world without Jesus, there would be no boundaries. But that doesn’t relate to a world of freedom.

In fact, not being bound by God’s laws and His protection would only mean that we are still bound, but bound by something far more restrictive.

You see, a world without Christ…while it would be without boundaries, it would most definitely be without FREEDOM!

How do you keep God’s Boundaries from becoming Burdensome:

Trust that God cares about you and everything you are going through.
Trust that God has the power to take care of you.
Trust the boundaries that God has put in place for you.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

We have a dangerous enemy – “principalities…powers…rulers of the darkenss…spiritual hosts”

There is a spiritual realm that is REAL, ORGANIZED, and MORE POWERFUL than you! So, IF you don’t have a POWER source that wraps you in His care (Christ!), then you are left to the whims of a very real & wicked force that would like nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy you!

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Understand we are in a dangerous battle

How serious is the battle? Notice one more word in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle…”

The word “wrestle” is the Greek word “pale” (pronounced: PAH-Lay) and it was the term for the events that involved gladiators who, when they had pinned their opponents to the ground, would look up at the host of the games – usually Caesar – who would signal with his hand for the order to kill his weaker opponent. THIS TYPE OF Life/Death gladiator match was described as “PAH-Lay” – a ‘death’ match!

So, if you want to imagine a world where Jesus had never been born, then you must dream of a world that is incredibly hostile toward your emotions, your physical safety, etc… It would be a battle for your mind, your heart, your will.

The sad thing is that not many people know that they are living their lives right now as if Jesus had never been born AND they don’t realize how vulnerable they really are.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil