Thanksgiving

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

I love thanksgiving! It is one of my favorite holidays. I don’t know if it’s the time with family, or the food, or the positive mindset of thanksgiving. It is probably the combination of these that make it such a special day.

In my reflections this Thanksgiving I thought about how thankful I am for our church. I love what God is doing at Christian Life! We gather together and God shows up. It’s awesome!

I am profoundly thankful for a church family. What a wonderful group of people that share the good and the difficult parts of life together. People that gather to travel together on their spiritual journey. You guys are the best!

I want to encourage you this week and let you know God loves you and so do I. You are important to God and to our church family. If you ever get discouraged remember the adage “God don’t make no junk.” He created you just the way you are, for this moment in history, to do and be who he called you to be. Take time to thank God for making you you. Meditate on these passages:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made ... All the days ordained for me were written in your book. (Psalm 139:14, 16)

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Romans 8:33-34)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:29)

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

What do you think?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

I’m having trouble with something so I thought I would use this week’s blog to ask you what you think.

In our Draw Near To God series we spent a couple of week’s worth of sermons on the subject of pornography. I feel that we talked fairly openly about the subject and how it affects up to 49% of Christian families. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me or emailed me to thank me for taking the time to talk about such a sensitive subject. Trust me, it wasn’t easy and I always enjoy positive feedback.

But here is what is troubling me. A lot of people were happy we tackled the subject but very few responded for help. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting a lot of thank you's, I was expecting a lot of people looking for help. Maybe people in our church don’t struggle with pornography? Maybe we defy the odds? Or maybe we aren’t being completely honest.

I know this is a sensitive and private subject. The devil would love to keep it that way. Maybe you are trying to deal with this on your own? But as we learned in our video, this is something you can’t overcome on your own. You need the power of God and the accountability of a friend or small group.

We are looking to begin some anonymous support groups at the beginning of the New Year to help those that struggle with and those who are victims of pornography. But will anybody come? I hope they do.

I want to hear what you think concerning this matter. What do you have to say? Please free to post your comments

Home With The Lord

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8


This past week our church family lost a dear brother, Jeff Taylor. Our heart and prayers are with Debbie, his wife of 25 years, along with Jeff’s mom and dad and the entire family. Jeff’s life and passing is a reminder that this is not all there is, that this is not our forever home, and someday we will step into eternity for an appointment with God.

Even through his illness, Jeff had a passion for the Lord and His work. You could sense his heart to know God. You could sense his desire to serve God with his life. Now Jeff is healthy, whole, and strong in the presence of God. It is safe to say that Jeff’s desires are satisfied as he experiences God face to face.

As we talked about last week the spiritual things in life are the most important because they last for eternity. In the busyness of life we can forget or ignore the spiritual. Someday each of us will stand before God to give an account. Will you be one who chooses to draw near to God in this life so that you can enjoy Him forever?

We were created for a relationship with God. We were created for an eternity with Him. God “has planted eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT) Nothing this temporary life can offer will satisfy. Are you drawing near to God? Remember you get for eternity what you desire in this life.

While we grieve the loss of our friend Jeff we don’t grieve without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13) like the world because we know someday we will be worshipping with him again, this time around the Throne!

Time With God

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8

I have enjoyed our fall small group study at Christian Life, Drawing Near by John Bevere. I appreciate the many who are taking the spiritual journey together to draw near to God. I know that God honors your heart cry for Him and will in turn reveal Himself in even greater ways to you and to our church family.

One of the main components of drawing near to God is our time with Him. As with any relationship, our time with God is valuable. Spending time with God allows us to grow close to Him. We can say that we desire to draw near to God but if we don’t spend time seeking Him our desire will never become a reality.

In our jam-packed lives how do we find time for God on a daily basis? The key is consistency.

1. Have a consistent time every day that you meet with God.
   
2. Have a consistent place where you spend that time.
   
3. Have a consistent routine for your time together.

In the weekend services to come I will be talking about how to spend quality time with God. In this blog let me share with you something that helps me on those days I miss my consistent time, place, and routine. In the busyness of the calling of being a pastor and the sometimes overwhelming schedule of a young family there are days that it is difficult to find time to spend with God. So, on my palm pilot each day at the end of the day I have scheduled the phrase, “It’s not too late.” This simple phrase reminds me that it’s not too late to pray, or maybe to read a verse, or even to journal a thought before bed.

It’s never too late in the day to spend time with God. Even if you only have strength for a short prayer at the end of the day God is happy to hear from you. Remember God always loves you and enjoys His time with you!

Thank You

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58


THANK YOU


In the development of the West Campus of Christian Life Church we are discovering the church’s key needs as we plan for the future. Obviously, for our church the aspects of worship and teaching are a priority. We are a worshipping and teaching church. These things are a part of all of our services because they are part of who we are as a church. But right behind having worship and teaching in place we are noticing the next most important aspect of the church is a strong children’s ministry.

Children’s ministry has always been an emphasis at Christian Life. We believe we are stewards of the children God gives us and that we are to connect our kids to Christ. From nursery through high school, and even into college, we strive to provide quality ministry that meets the needs of each stage of development.

A successful children’s ministry only happens with the commitment and care of many adult volunteers. From our countless nursery workers, to Sunday School teachers, to Kid’s Club workers, to the leaders in our youth ministry, we have a solid team of volunteers investing in the lives of our children.

Today we salute the volunteers that make our children’s ministry great. For the hours of preparation, for the many missed services, through the joy and the pain… we honor you! Thank you for your faithfulness. You and your gifitings are appreciated! Always remember, “that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

the first second sunday

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20

the first
second sunday
report

You are not going to believe what happened… The hotel we were booked at double booked their meeting space. Actually, the people who were in the meeting room before us refused to leave. Things at first were a little tense. The scrapbook convention wouldn’t budge so the hotel allowed us to set up in the main lobby area. Can you believe it, having church in a hotel lobby with guests coming and going throughout the service?

Well, this hiccup did not stop the West Campus pioneers. The worship sounded great. I preached the same message on purity and pornography as the people came and went. So I guess you could say our first crowd was a lot larger than we expected. ;-) It was fun to see the hotel guests take a seat in the lobby and pretend like they weren’t listening but you could tell they were. To see the cleaning people come by and stop for a while. To see the front desk person put down his work and bow his head each time we would pray. It was a very public beginning for our first West Campus weekend!

What I learned from the weekend is that God is in control, He always makes a way, and no matter the circumstance He is always with us. The West Campus has been birthed! You can keep up with everything happening out there by visiting http://www.clcwest.org/.

second sunday 4

For a dream comes with much business and painful effort.
Ecclesiastes 5:3


second sunday
is here!

www.clcwest.org

October 14, 2007
11:30AM

Comfort Suites

2480 Bushwood Drive

Elgin, IL 60124

There is a principle found from church growth studies that affirms the fastest way to grow a church is to plant a new one. I have no doubt that God desires to see his kingdom built with the birth of new churches throughout the USA and around the world. As with many of our members out west, it is our desire to see a Christian Life campus in the western corridor of Chicagoland. We will continue to be one church, just now in two locations.

This birth isn’t without effort however. Many people have been waiting and working behind the scenes to help make this launch happen. I salute those who have the pioneer spirit and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure success. I appreciate our staff that in many cases will be pulling double duty as we open our new campus. And by far the most important investment we can make, and so many are making, is one of prayer. My desire is to see God’s things done God’s way. When we are obedient to the heavenly vision God blesses and grows His church.

This is the weekend it all begins. It’s been a couple of years of ups and downs and sideways but the time has come. Be in an attitude of dedication and prayer for this historic weekend at Christian Life Church.

second sunday 3

second sunday
www.clcwest.org

October 14, 2007
11:30AM
Comfort Suites

2480 Bushwood Drive

Elgin, IL 60124

Why did we decide to meet in a hotel? For the past two years the west campus team has been looking for a location to meet for services on the weekends. Our focus has been to find a place to purchase rather than rent. We wanted to find a place that was affordable while at the same time we would be able to build equity for future expansion. Of all the properties we looked at nothing was working out. When I prayed about why we were having such a difficult time finding a location I really felt the Lord say to me that we were not looking at places that were large enough for what God wanted to do out west. Since we were looking for what we could afford most of the places were quite small and since we do not have the money to buy something substantial we will begin by renting inexpensive meeting rooms at hotels until our numbers grow.
Second Sunday is a week away. Keep our west campus launch in prayer. This is a historic moment for our church. We are about to give birth to something big!

second sunday 2

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…
Psalm 127:1

second sunday
is coming!

www.clcwest.org

Second Sunday refers to the new upcoming weekend services of our west campus church plant. We will begin with one weekend service a month and those services will be on the second Sunday of each month. The weekend schedule at our Mount Prospect campus will remain the same with a later service happening out west.

Why just one service a month? Much time and study have gone into our plant and we have found that many start-up churches begin this way. There are a couple of reasons it will work well for us. First, with a new plant there will always be a learning curve. There are so many dynamics that make up a church from the up front ministry to everything behind the scenes. There will no doubt be corrections and changes needed after we begin. By only meeting once a month to start we will have an entire month rather than just a week to make any necessary adjustments.

The other reason to start with once a month services is to allow our west campus individuals and families a chance to worship in both places as they transition out of our Mount Prospect ministries. Rather than leaving abruptly after years of relationship, they can slowly move from one location to the next. It provides a time of closure. The relationships established in Mount Prospect will never die, it’s just that we all won’t see each other every week like we’re used to doing.

Remember, we are one church, with one vision, soon to be in two locations. God is birthing something great through Christian Life. Make sure during this season of planting you keep the life of our church a priority in your prayer life.

second sunday 1

For the vision is yet for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it.
Habakkuk 2:3


second sunday
is coming!

www.clcwest.org


Over two years ago I shared with our church on a vision night about a new direction that God was calling our body. Through prayer, study, and wise council I believe God is calling our church family to plant a second campus of Christian Life Church. We would be one church, with one vision, in two locations.

The campus we are planting is in the far western suburbs. God has moved some of our church people out west from South Elgin up to Crystal Lake. Most of these families still make the long drive every week to our Mount Prospect campus. What we have at Christian Life is very special and there is a tremendous need for vibrant Spirit-filled churches in one of the fastest growing areas in our nation.

For the past two years, I have been meeting midweek with a small group of people. Along with Bible study we have been praying and planning for the future. Our elders and pastors council have been discussing the future of this new campus plant. The time is right (I’ll share more about that later) and God is calling us to begin weekend services this fall.

We will begin with one weekend service a month. The second Sunday of each month we will conduct our first services out west. The weekend schedule at the Mount Prospect will remain the same. The west services will be later in the day. Even though most people reading this will never attend the west campus, please pray that many people, in this growing community, will connect to God through CLC West. Read the Bible Blog the next several weeks and listen during the weekend services as we unfold the vision of the west campus.

Our World

Gary Wilkerson of World Challenge confronts the church with the following statistics…

Worldwide

• 6,571,497,332 people now live on earth
• 1,200,000,000 people live on 23 cents a day
• 2,000,000,000 people have no electricity
• 80% of all people live in substandard housing
• 1,000,000,000 people are without safe drinking water
• Every 16 seconds someone dies of hunger
• 57,000,000 people died in 2006
• 10,500,000 of these were children less than five years old
• 14,000,000 children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS
• 2,000,000 children have died as a direct result of armed conflict during the last ten years.

Meanwhile

• $8,000,000,000.00 were spent on cosmetics in America in 2005
• $11,000,000,000.00 for ice cream in Europe
• $17,000,000,000.00 in the USA and Europe on pet food
• $105,000,000,000.00 for alcohol in Europe

These statistics are not meant to make you feel guilty; I want them to raise your awareness. We can make a difference in the world. Every third weekend is Missions Weekend at Christian Life. From the very beginning of our existence as a church, we have invested in building God’s Kingdom around the world. We refuse to turn a blind eye to the suffering and the lost around the world. We will continue, to the best of our ability, to share with likeminded ministries to see God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. You and your gifts are helping to change the world!

Let’s keep up the good work. Pray about your gift today. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Golf

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1, 2a

This weekend is our annual golf outing at Christian Life Church. This is one of the weekends I look forward to all year. It’s really not about the golf, I just love hanging out and having fun with members of our church family.

You might say, “Well, what about the golf?” I have to admit I am pretty competitive and I like to win at whatever I play but to be honest I don’t love golf. I used to love golf. I was, as they say, bit by the "golf bug." I would play any chance I could. If it wasn’t for the lack of time and money I would have golfed every day if I could. For a while there I would have to admit golf was an obsession for me. Now, I can count on one hand how many times I play in a year.

What changed? I don’t know. The craving is just gone. Maybe I got it out of my system. Maybe I reached a plateau in my play. I really don’t know what happened. All I do know is that I don’t enjoy it like I used to. What once was a passion for me is now just recreation.

Over time this same phenomenon can happen in our Christian life. What once was a passion becomes recreation. At one time we could not get enough of God, His Word, His church. But something happens. You can’t explain it. The passion that once burned bright is just gone.

Our walk with God is not a hobby, it is a relationship. Like in all relationships it’s not about the level of passion, it’s about the level of commitment. Passion can get any relationship started; it’s commitment that gives a relationship longevity. Don’t let your relationship with God stagnate, rekindle the passion.

What is your passion level with God right now? A better question is what is your commitment level? Remember our verse for this fall at Christian Life is James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Jury Duty

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
Oswald Chambers

The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life…
Proverbs 14:27

I had jury duty this week. I wasn’t chosen. At first I was happy that I was able to get back to church earlier than planned and get some more work done. Though as I thought about it I wondered why I wasn’t chosen. Was it something I said? Was it the way I looked? I guess deep down I wanted to be chosen. Everyone likes to be chosen. It feels good to be picked to be on the team no matter what the team is. I could have been on the jury to help decide the fate of two people. But I wasn’t chosen to sit on the jury. My opinion didn’t matter in the case.

As I thought about the jury process and how we live our lives it seems as though we are always trying to impress a jury of our peers, family, coworkers, etc. We worry about how we look to them, what they think of us. We are worried about their judgment of us. And yet, when all is said and done their opinions really do not matter. The only one we are accountable to is God. At the final judgment we won’t be scrutinized by a jury of our peers we will stand before a holy and righteous God. His opinion alone will matter.

As we have learned in our Getting To Know God series God is not only holy and righteous, He is also loving. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) God loves you and desires the absolute best for your life.

Think about who you are trying to impress. As you live your life this week remember that the only opinion that really matters in the end is God’s opinion. And we are right with God, it’s all right!

Back To School

For many of our children the new school year began this week. I believe the first day of school should be a national holiday for all parents since they look forward to this day all summer long. ;-) But even beyond the rejoicing of parents everywhere it is an exciting time of year.

You get ready for school by going out and getting new supplies, new clothes, and new shoes. The kids are excited about seeing their friends they’ve missed over the summer. There is something special about going into a new grade and learning new things. There really is something wonderful about going back to school.

As adults we don’t always get that “wonder” this time of year. Other than getting into our Fall routine not much changes for us. Our lives pretty much stay the same while we watch our children grow and learn. What if, like our children, we went back to “school” this Fall? What if saw this Fall as a season of learning and growing?

The phrase “teach me” is found 16 times in the book of Psalms. (You can look up all of these references at www.biblegateway.com.) Proverbs 9:10 (NLT) says, “Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.” There is so much for us to learn about God from God. He desires us to know Him more. I believe the better we know God the better our lives will be. Let’s be like the psalm writer and invite God to teach us.
Just as we plan and prepare for our kids to go back to school, let’s plan and prepare our time of learning. Let’s set the schedule and get into the routine of learning this Fall. As we move into September there will be a wide variety of learning opportunities at Christian Life, especially on Wednesdays and Sundays. Make a commitment now for you and your family to learn and grow in God this Fall.

Well done, good and faithful servant

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a story about a master who entrusts his servants with precious gifts. The ones who invested what was given to them were commended and the one who did nothing with his gifts met a terrible fate. This parable leaves us with a goal to someday hear these words from God, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

This week we laid to rest our dear brother Dan Knisely. For the past 25 years Dan and his family have been and integral part of our church family at Christian Life. His life touched many of our lives. I don’t know of anybody in the history of our church that received as much prayer as Dan. We all wanted to stand with him during his battle with cancer.

Dan was an example of a godly man in his family, in his business, and in our church. Dan did “well” in each area of his life. He worked hard, played hard, and enjoyed his life.

I will always remember Dan’s questions. Whether it was on the golf course, at dinner, or in the church lobby Dan was never afraid of the big questions. He loved to ask difficult questions, especially deep theological ones. They were never easy to answer. I think he had fun stumping the pastor.

On one of the last visits in the hospital I got to ask Dan a big question. What would he like to do if he felt better? Dan said if he had more time he would love to spend time with family. Take a walk and play with the grandkids. He would enjoy another good day at the office. Spend more time at church during the week. These are just a few of his answers.

What I noticed about Dan’s answers was that there was nothing new. The things he wanted to do were the same things he did throughout his life. There were really no regrets except a desire for more time to do what he had always done.
When you think about the life and gifts God gave you are living a life with no regrets? Live this life well so that in the end, just like Dan, you will hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Questions & Faith

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)


I have had a lot of questions for God lately. There are times when things seem completely out of control in our world and I wonder when God will come and step in and take care of everything that’s wrong. I think it is safe to say that many people would say they have not seen enough of God’s presence and action in the world to satisfy them.

No matter how we feel, God is always with us and is at work in our world and our lives. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 He shows up when we least expect it. He’s right in front of us calling us into His good and perfect will. He touches our lives with His presence. We experience God and then know that someday our faith will be sight.

Pray that God gives you eyes of faith to see Him at work in our world and in our lives. Here is a prayer you can use from a martyr for the faith.

Lord Jesus, when I am tempted because I cannot see God and his power and love in this world, let me firmly look upon you, for you are my Lord and my God.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Draw nigh to God

Then say to him, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert.”
Exodus 7:16 (NIV)

Our kids came back from camp this week. They had a great time. It was good to have Luke back home and to hear about everything that happened at camp. The fun he had, the new friends he made, and how he met with God. The time spent at camp as a young person can be life changing. I remember my camp experiences with fondness. And there is no doubt that my spiritual experiences at camp have profoundly shaped my life.

As you can tell I think summer church camps are valuable. When I was a youth pastor I looked forward to bringing our teenagers each year to camp. Summer camp is that time you get away from the daily routine, peer pressure, and other distractions that can keep one from God. There is something about getting away and getting alone with God.

When Israel was delivered from Egypt God said the purpose was so that they could worship Him in the desert. They were in the desert for forty years and it was during that time they truly became God’s people. God provided fresh water to drink, manna to eat each day, while all that time their clothes and shoes never wore out. He provided for their every need. God revealed lists to live by so that they would become His holy people. It was in their isolated time in the wilderness that they learned to love God, hear His voice, and follow Him.
As the summer begins to fade away, have you, like our children and the children of Israel, taken the time to meet with God? It is essential that we make room for Him in our lives. James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” Take time to draw near this week. There is no substitute for time spent with God.

I have a favorite prayer request.

He isn't really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent. The day of the Lord is surely coming, as unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up.
2 Peter 3:9-10 (TLB)

I have a favorite prayer request. I enjoy all of the praise reports. But I have a certain favorite prayer request. First, let me say that it is a privilege to pray each week for all of the requests that come in. Big and small they are all important to take to God in prayer. There is not a week that goes by that the pastors, staff, and I don’t intercede for needs of our church family.

Which is my favorite you ask? My favorite prayer requests are the ones for the salvation of friends, neighbors, co-workers, family, etc. I love to see someone have the passion for someone close to them to come to know Jesus. You see in these requests the burden for lost souls. I believe these unselfish requests touch the very heart of God. As our verse says, God doesn’t want anybody to perish and suffer judgment. God created everyone to have a personal relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven (John 2:16,17).

These kind requests get even better when the person asks God for the open opportunity to share the Gospel with their friend. I believe God honors these requests. If you ask for the opportunity to share your faith, God will answer your prayer. Sharing our faith is a vital part of our relationship with God. It’s our responsibility as a part of His Body here on the earth. We are called to be His witnesses (John 15:27). We are called to be ministers of reconciliation between God and man in our world (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Sharing your faith is a win-win situation. Either the person accepts Christ or you have planted a seed (1 Corinthians 3:6). Pray for an opportunity this week to share your faith with someone you know. In fact, take some tickets and invite them to our church picnic and movie night next Sunday at CLC. You have exactly what your world needs. Share it!

Goodbye

We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

This weekend we say good-bye to an important couple here at Christian Life Church. Ralph & Pat Wendland have been a part of our church family since the mid 1980’s and now they are moving into the next phase of their retirement in the Indianapolis area. They have been heavily involved in life and ministry at CLC over the years. Beyond Ralph’s role as an elder, Ralph and Pat have ministered to the lives of many from children through seniors.

As I thought about their impact in our church over the years I recalled seeing them in a variety of different situations. I’ve see them working hard on different projects, having fun with the SAGEr’s, being up front with the choir, being behind the scenes with our children’s ministry, always ready to offer help or encouragement to anybody who needed it. I can’t tell how much their encouragement to me personally has meant over the years. Ralph and Pat truly represent Christ-like ministry to the church.

All of us are called to live beyond ourselves. The Gospel saves us and then calls us to a life of service. In what ways is God calling you to serve in your world? Whose life are you touching? How are you serving His Body, the church? Don’t get so caught up with the busyness of life that you miss your call to serve.

At our good-bye dinner for the Wendland’s, Ralph shared this verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Thank you Ralph & Pat! We love you and will miss you and will look forward to your visits.

Abraham & Isaac

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
Hebrews 11:17-19

In our sermon study this weekend we will be examining one of the most interesting passages in the Bible, Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Would God really ask someone to do something like this? After all God in His Law said that the Children of Israel were not to partake in the heathen practice of human sacrifice. In fact, the Israelites were commanded to not even associate with the pagan people groups who participated in the immoral practice.

So why would God ask Abraham to do such a thing? Well, in the big picture, this story is a living depiction or type of the ultimate sacrifice God, the Father, would make with His one and only Son, Jesus. But it is also a test God uses to increase Abraham’s faith. The word test means “to qualify through a thorough examination.” God gives tests to strengthen and approve us – to test us to see if our faith is genuine and to humble us and bring us under His care.

God did this to test Abraham and Abraham passed the test. Abraham had so much faith that he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he (God) said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Genesis 22:12

There is a blessing when we pass God’s tests. Genesis 22:16-18 says, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

What are some of the tests you are going through right now? How’s your faith? Are you passing the tests? Don’t forget you can listen to our sermons online at www.christianlifechurch.org.