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Messages from Pastor Mark Borseth
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Pastor's Message, May 2022
“What Does God Look Like?”
John 12:32-33,44-45 - 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die…44 Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.’
What does the invisible God in heaven look like? He looks just like Jesus!
Where do we get the clearest picture of what the invisible God in heaven looks like? Believe it or not, the answer is – on the cross of Jesus!
Jesus says it is when he has been lifted up on the cross that people will be drawn to him. Why would be they be drawn to a gruesome thing like the cross? They will not be drawn to the gruesomeness of the cross, they will be drawn to the love of the one dying for us there.
When we look at the cross of Jesus, we see not only the clearest picture of Jesus’ heart for us, but we also get the clearest picture of what the Father is like. Jesus says, when we look at him, we see not just him, but we see the one who sent him, the Father.
What is the clearest picture of the Father? Jesus dying on the cross for us! When I was younger, I saw Jesus and God the Father in very different ways. I saw Jesus as the nice one on earth who came to protect me from the angry, demanding, punishing God in heaven. But that cannot be correct. Jesus says that if we have seen him, we have seen the Father. The Father is not the opposite of the loving Jesus. He looks just like the loving Jesus.
When I saw God as frightening, I wanted to stay as far away as possible to keep myself safe. Now that I know that the invisible God in heaven, the Father, is just like Jesus I want to be as close to him as possible to be healed and transformed by his love.
When you pray to God, what does that God look like? Is he a frightening Judge from who you keep a safe distance? Or, is he a loving Father who seeks to embrace you and transform you with his love? How accurately we see God makes a difference!
Jesus, thank you that you came to reveal that the invisible God in heaven is not an angry Judge we need to hide from, but a loving Father who wants to embrace us with his love. Remind me again today what my Father is like so I don’t waste any more time hiding from him. AMEN
John 12:32-33,44-45 - 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die…44 Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.’
What does the invisible God in heaven look like? He looks just like Jesus!
Where do we get the clearest picture of what the invisible God in heaven looks like? Believe it or not, the answer is – on the cross of Jesus!
Jesus says it is when he has been lifted up on the cross that people will be drawn to him. Why would be they be drawn to a gruesome thing like the cross? They will not be drawn to the gruesomeness of the cross, they will be drawn to the love of the one dying for us there.
When we look at the cross of Jesus, we see not only the clearest picture of Jesus’ heart for us, but we also get the clearest picture of what the Father is like. Jesus says, when we look at him, we see not just him, but we see the one who sent him, the Father.
What is the clearest picture of the Father? Jesus dying on the cross for us! When I was younger, I saw Jesus and God the Father in very different ways. I saw Jesus as the nice one on earth who came to protect me from the angry, demanding, punishing God in heaven. But that cannot be correct. Jesus says that if we have seen him, we have seen the Father. The Father is not the opposite of the loving Jesus. He looks just like the loving Jesus.
When I saw God as frightening, I wanted to stay as far away as possible to keep myself safe. Now that I know that the invisible God in heaven, the Father, is just like Jesus I want to be as close to him as possible to be healed and transformed by his love.
When you pray to God, what does that God look like? Is he a frightening Judge from who you keep a safe distance? Or, is he a loving Father who seeks to embrace you and transform you with his love? How accurately we see God makes a difference!
Jesus, thank you that you came to reveal that the invisible God in heaven is not an angry Judge we need to hide from, but a loving Father who wants to embrace us with his love. Remind me again today what my Father is like so I don’t waste any more time hiding from him. AMEN
Pastor's Message, April 2022
“A God Who Keeps Showing Up”
In a world that has lost sight of God, we are called to be the ones who help others see that God’s character is not to abandon us, but to keep showing up, over and over and over.
Into a lost world, God showed up and lived among us in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Into sickness, oppression, brokenness and pain, God showed up in Jesus for healing.
Into sin and death, God showed up in Jesus for forgiveness and new life.
Into the lives of normal, everyday people like fishermen and tax collectors, God showed up in Jesus to invite them to live and minister with him.
Into the lives of grieving disciples who saw Jesus crucified, God showed up as Jesus met Mary Magdalene by the tomb, the two men on the road to Emmaus, the disciples locked in the upper room and then to hundreds of people who saw him alive after his resurrection to bring new hope.
Into the upper room where 120 were praying after Jesus ascended to heaven, God showed up in the Holy Spirit to give them love, power, intimacy and courage to expand his kingdom.
Into the life of a Pharisee named Saul who was bent on destroying God’s people, God showed up in Jesus on the road to Damascus and the Holy Spirit in Damascus to turn him from a persecutor of the church to one who was willing to be persecuted to share the good news of Jesus.
Into the lives of those in need of love and hope, God continues to show up through his people.
Into the lives of those who invite Jesus into their lives, God makes a permanent dwelling for his Holy Spirit.
How can we as people of God keep giving the world the impression that God is only interested in meeting us when we die when he wants to keep showing up every step of the way between now and then?
Father, may our lives be constant reminders to the world around us that you are a God who is in the habit of showing up all over the place.
AMEN
In a world that has lost sight of God, we are called to be the ones who help others see that God’s character is not to abandon us, but to keep showing up, over and over and over.
Into a lost world, God showed up and lived among us in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Into sickness, oppression, brokenness and pain, God showed up in Jesus for healing.
Into sin and death, God showed up in Jesus for forgiveness and new life.
Into the lives of normal, everyday people like fishermen and tax collectors, God showed up in Jesus to invite them to live and minister with him.
Into the lives of grieving disciples who saw Jesus crucified, God showed up as Jesus met Mary Magdalene by the tomb, the two men on the road to Emmaus, the disciples locked in the upper room and then to hundreds of people who saw him alive after his resurrection to bring new hope.
Into the upper room where 120 were praying after Jesus ascended to heaven, God showed up in the Holy Spirit to give them love, power, intimacy and courage to expand his kingdom.
Into the life of a Pharisee named Saul who was bent on destroying God’s people, God showed up in Jesus on the road to Damascus and the Holy Spirit in Damascus to turn him from a persecutor of the church to one who was willing to be persecuted to share the good news of Jesus.
Into the lives of those in need of love and hope, God continues to show up through his people.
Into the lives of those who invite Jesus into their lives, God makes a permanent dwelling for his Holy Spirit.
How can we as people of God keep giving the world the impression that God is only interested in meeting us when we die when he wants to keep showing up every step of the way between now and then?
Father, may our lives be constant reminders to the world around us that you are a God who is in the habit of showing up all over the place.
AMEN
Pastor's Message, March 2022
“Where Does God Meet Us?”
He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Isaiah 53:3
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The journey of Christianity doesn’t begin with our human strength earning us encounters with God. It begins with God meeting us in our weakness.
Jesus didn’t wait for us to stop sinning to die for us. He died for us while we were sinners.
Jesus didn’t wait for us to becomes strong enough to do the work he has for us. He invited us to rest in him and learn how to be yoked to his strength so he can do his work in and through us.
Jesus didn’t say we would understand him through our human wisdom. He said he would reveal himself to us in our weakness and dependence.
Jesus isn’t keeping his distance from us when we are brokenhearted and crushed. He is near to the brokenhearted and crushed.
This Lent, we will invite Jesus to meet us in our weakness, shame, guilt, fear, anxiety and trauma. We will learn what it means to see and enter the kingdom of God by meeting him in the place he wants to meet us – our need.
He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Isaiah 53:3
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The journey of Christianity doesn’t begin with our human strength earning us encounters with God. It begins with God meeting us in our weakness.
Jesus didn’t wait for us to stop sinning to die for us. He died for us while we were sinners.
Jesus didn’t wait for us to becomes strong enough to do the work he has for us. He invited us to rest in him and learn how to be yoked to his strength so he can do his work in and through us.
Jesus didn’t say we would understand him through our human wisdom. He said he would reveal himself to us in our weakness and dependence.
Jesus isn’t keeping his distance from us when we are brokenhearted and crushed. He is near to the brokenhearted and crushed.
This Lent, we will invite Jesus to meet us in our weakness, shame, guilt, fear, anxiety and trauma. We will learn what it means to see and enter the kingdom of God by meeting him in the place he wants to meet us – our need.
Pastor's Message, February 2022
“The Church is In Desperate Need of a Vowel Movement”
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ 3Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ 4Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ 5Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. John 3:1-5
When Jesus arrived on the scene, he quickly got the attention of others. Some of that attention was good, as people started to experience the love and power of God through him. Some of that attention was bad, as many of the church leaders of the day saw him as a threat to themselves and their monopoly on religious activity and discourse and sought to silence, discredit and cancel him permanently.
One of those church leaders named Nicodemus wasn’t repelled or threatened by what he saw in Jesus. He was attracted to it. He came to Jesus secretly at night so he wouldn’t be seen by those who considered Jesus and enemy because he saw that the love and power Jesus displayed must be from God. He was a leading teacher of the Jewish religion yet he had never seen or experienced anything like what he was seeing in Jesus.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that the only reason he is able to see that he is from God is that God has opened his eyes to see the kingdom activity of God. God was the reason Nicodemus was drawn there. Will Nicodemus settle for seeing the power and love of God at work in Jesus and going back to his dry, powerless religion, or will he accept Jesus’ invitation to enter into that love and power in the kingdom activity of God?
Jesus invites Nicodemus to be born of the Holy Spirit and enter into the kingdom of God. As he sees the kingdom and allows the Holy Spirit to fill him with love, courage and power, his life will go from the structured, predictable impotence of religion into the spontaneous, unpredictable power and love of a life of intimacy with God.
I think the church of our day needs the same type of awakening Nicodemus had. In many ways our religious culture has become more of a dry, powerless religious system than a living, powerful adventure with God. What will happen if we allow the Holy Spirit to sweep us into the kingdom of God?
I think we will begin a “Vowel Movement” which will get the love and power of God flowing through us freely into the world. What are the characteristics of this Vowel Movement?
A – Aware of who we are, who God is and who our neighbor is
E – Engaged in living out our callings to love and serve God and neighbor
I – Inwardly living a life of authenticity as individuals and unity with others in the body of Christ
O – Outwardly aware and engaged in loving and serving those outside the body of Christ
U – Upwardly aware of and engaged in an intimate connection with God.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ 3Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ 4Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ 5Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. John 3:1-5
When Jesus arrived on the scene, he quickly got the attention of others. Some of that attention was good, as people started to experience the love and power of God through him. Some of that attention was bad, as many of the church leaders of the day saw him as a threat to themselves and their monopoly on religious activity and discourse and sought to silence, discredit and cancel him permanently.
One of those church leaders named Nicodemus wasn’t repelled or threatened by what he saw in Jesus. He was attracted to it. He came to Jesus secretly at night so he wouldn’t be seen by those who considered Jesus and enemy because he saw that the love and power Jesus displayed must be from God. He was a leading teacher of the Jewish religion yet he had never seen or experienced anything like what he was seeing in Jesus.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that the only reason he is able to see that he is from God is that God has opened his eyes to see the kingdom activity of God. God was the reason Nicodemus was drawn there. Will Nicodemus settle for seeing the power and love of God at work in Jesus and going back to his dry, powerless religion, or will he accept Jesus’ invitation to enter into that love and power in the kingdom activity of God?
Jesus invites Nicodemus to be born of the Holy Spirit and enter into the kingdom of God. As he sees the kingdom and allows the Holy Spirit to fill him with love, courage and power, his life will go from the structured, predictable impotence of religion into the spontaneous, unpredictable power and love of a life of intimacy with God.
I think the church of our day needs the same type of awakening Nicodemus had. In many ways our religious culture has become more of a dry, powerless religious system than a living, powerful adventure with God. What will happen if we allow the Holy Spirit to sweep us into the kingdom of God?
I think we will begin a “Vowel Movement” which will get the love and power of God flowing through us freely into the world. What are the characteristics of this Vowel Movement?
A – Aware of who we are, who God is and who our neighbor is
E – Engaged in living out our callings to love and serve God and neighbor
I – Inwardly living a life of authenticity as individuals and unity with others in the body of Christ
O – Outwardly aware and engaged in loving and serving those outside the body of Christ
U – Upwardly aware of and engaged in an intimate connection with God.
Pastor's Message, January 2022
“Ubiquity”
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
I feel like the word God has given me for 2022 is the word “ubiquity,” and I feel like the verse God has given me for 2022 is John 20:22 – “And with that (having told them that he is sending them into the world the same way the Father sent him into the world) he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
ubiquity: [noun] presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously : omnipresence. (Merriam Webster)
In John 20:21, the resurrected Jesus has just sent his disciples into the world in the same way the Father had sent him into the world. Jesus has been sent to bring the presence and activity of God into the world by proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God. Now that he is going to be with the Father, how will God’s presence and activity continue to break into the world? It will be through his disciples. How will they be empowered to fill the world with the kingdom of God? By the gift of the Holy Spirit!
How can we be sent to fill the world with God’s presence and power? By the filling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Spirit will empower and send them first to influence the city they are in, then to influence the region they are in, then to influence the neighboring region, finally to influence the whole world.
In this world where we are fragmented, isolated and often unaware of the presence and activity of God, how do we begin the process of turning scarcity of connection with God and each other into a ubiquity of connection with God and each other? What if we are to spread it like a virus? What if we are to be infected with the love, power and presence of God and then get close to others who need to experience that same infection. What if we start one at a time loving one person at a time? What if we start where we are? What if enough people filled with the Holy Spirit, loving the people next to them can create an unexpected pandemic of God’s kingdom in the world until there is nowhere to escape it? What if this can happen through people like us until the kingdom of God is ubiquitous in our community?
My ministry in 2022 will be defined by ubiquity and empowered by John 20:22, the power of the Holy Spirit sending us into the world just as Jesus had been sent by the love of the Father.
Anybody want to get infected by the love and power of God with me? Anybody want to start a pandemic of God’s kingdom?
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
I feel like the word God has given me for 2022 is the word “ubiquity,” and I feel like the verse God has given me for 2022 is John 20:22 – “And with that (having told them that he is sending them into the world the same way the Father sent him into the world) he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
ubiquity: [noun] presence everywhere or in many places especially simultaneously : omnipresence. (Merriam Webster)
In John 20:21, the resurrected Jesus has just sent his disciples into the world in the same way the Father had sent him into the world. Jesus has been sent to bring the presence and activity of God into the world by proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God. Now that he is going to be with the Father, how will God’s presence and activity continue to break into the world? It will be through his disciples. How will they be empowered to fill the world with the kingdom of God? By the gift of the Holy Spirit!
How can we be sent to fill the world with God’s presence and power? By the filling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Spirit will empower and send them first to influence the city they are in, then to influence the region they are in, then to influence the neighboring region, finally to influence the whole world.
In this world where we are fragmented, isolated and often unaware of the presence and activity of God, how do we begin the process of turning scarcity of connection with God and each other into a ubiquity of connection with God and each other? What if we are to spread it like a virus? What if we are to be infected with the love, power and presence of God and then get close to others who need to experience that same infection. What if we start one at a time loving one person at a time? What if we start where we are? What if enough people filled with the Holy Spirit, loving the people next to them can create an unexpected pandemic of God’s kingdom in the world until there is nowhere to escape it? What if this can happen through people like us until the kingdom of God is ubiquitous in our community?
My ministry in 2022 will be defined by ubiquity and empowered by John 20:22, the power of the Holy Spirit sending us into the world just as Jesus had been sent by the love of the Father.
Anybody want to get infected by the love and power of God with me? Anybody want to start a pandemic of God’s kingdom?
Pastor's Message, December 2021
“Sent to be Good News, Redemption, Truth and Freedom”
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free.” Luke 4:18
If we are sent by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry on Jesus’ job description in the world, what does that mean our job description is as followers of Jesus?
Jesus announced his job description as he read out of the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. If his job description is now ours as the same Spirit of the Lord comes upon and fills us, what are we sent to do?
Advent 2021 Worship and Themes
Sunday worship will continue on Sundays at 10:15, but we will be adding Wednesday worship during the four weeks of Advent to go deeper into the themes we will be exploring.
Themes for Advent:
Week 1 (Sunday, November 28 &Wednesday, December 1) – “Being Good News to the Poor”
Week 2 (Sunday, December 5 & Wednesday, December 8) – “Freedom to those Imprisoned by their own Sins and Mistakes”
Week 3 (Sunday, December 12 & Wednesday, December 15) – “Bringing Sight to the Blind”
Week 4 (Sunday, December 19 & Wednesday, December 22) – “Freedom to those in Bondage Because of the Sins and Mistakes of Others”
Jesus announced his job description as he read out of the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. If his job description is now ours as the same Spirit of the Lord comes upon and fills us, what are we sent to do?
- We are to be good news to the poor - Are we being good news to those who are lacking in financial resources, health, hope, friendships, opportunities?
- We are to proclaim freedom for the prisoners – Are we speaking and offering freedom to those who are in bondage due to their own actions or poor choices?
- We are to bring recovery of sight to the blind - Are we helping those who are unable to see themselves, others, God or the world clearly?
- We are to set the oppressed free – Are we helping people be set free from the things that keep them in bondage?
Advent 2021 Worship and Themes
Sunday worship will continue on Sundays at 10:15, but we will be adding Wednesday worship during the four weeks of Advent to go deeper into the themes we will be exploring.
Themes for Advent:
Week 1 (Sunday, November 28 &Wednesday, December 1) – “Being Good News to the Poor”
Week 2 (Sunday, December 5 & Wednesday, December 8) – “Freedom to those Imprisoned by their own Sins and Mistakes”
Week 3 (Sunday, December 12 & Wednesday, December 15) – “Bringing Sight to the Blind”
Week 4 (Sunday, December 19 & Wednesday, December 22) – “Freedom to those in Bondage Because of the Sins and Mistakes of Others”
Pastor's Message, November 2021
The Message to End 2021 – John 20:21
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21
Do you think the first topic Jesus chooses to talk about with his disciples after his resurrection might be something worth paying attention to?
In the Gospel of John, the resurrected Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene and then, later in the day, to the disciples gathered in the upper room. When he is with his disciples, what does he want to talk about? Yes, he does want to comfort them, but his focus does not remain long on comforting them. He quickly goes from comfort to calling. He doesn’t want them to get too used to hiding in the upper room and staying safe, he wants them to get out of the building and into the world doing ministry. His words to them are, “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”
The calling of the resurrected Jesus to them and to us is to not be satisfied just staying safe inside our comfort zones. He wants us to see that the place we are to be is out in the world taking the risk of carrying on the work that he came to do.
The Christian life is a rhythm of coming to him to find rest and being sent out by him to be good news to others. If all we do is find rest, but never go out, we will become fat, weak and useless, and we will never experience the presence and power of God fully. If all we do is go out and minister to people, we will get burned out and never experience the rest and love of God fully.
We end the year 2021 by taking seriously Jesus’ words in John 20:21. We have spent the last months focusing on who we are and how to think differently about God, ourselves and our neighbors. Now, to end the year, we hear the calling of Jesus to those who know their Father, who know who they are and who see and love the people around them take our life of faith out of the building, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
When we know God’s heart it drives us in love out of our comfort zones to love and serve others. When we know who we are, beloved children of God, it will help us to see that the place God’s family is to spend most of our time and energy is in the world serving others. When we start to see our neighbors as beloved creations of God, we want to be part of bringing love, healing, hope and salvation to their lives.
As we end the year focusing on God loving the world so much that he has sent his son Jesus for us, may we understand that, as the body of Christ, God loves the world so much that he is sending us for the same reason, so others can know that love and experience “God with us” for themselves.
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to live and die for me. As you sent him, send me to live and lay down my life in love for my neighbor. I pray this in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21
Do you think the first topic Jesus chooses to talk about with his disciples after his resurrection might be something worth paying attention to?
In the Gospel of John, the resurrected Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene and then, later in the day, to the disciples gathered in the upper room. When he is with his disciples, what does he want to talk about? Yes, he does want to comfort them, but his focus does not remain long on comforting them. He quickly goes from comfort to calling. He doesn’t want them to get too used to hiding in the upper room and staying safe, he wants them to get out of the building and into the world doing ministry. His words to them are, “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”
The calling of the resurrected Jesus to them and to us is to not be satisfied just staying safe inside our comfort zones. He wants us to see that the place we are to be is out in the world taking the risk of carrying on the work that he came to do.
The Christian life is a rhythm of coming to him to find rest and being sent out by him to be good news to others. If all we do is find rest, but never go out, we will become fat, weak and useless, and we will never experience the presence and power of God fully. If all we do is go out and minister to people, we will get burned out and never experience the rest and love of God fully.
We end the year 2021 by taking seriously Jesus’ words in John 20:21. We have spent the last months focusing on who we are and how to think differently about God, ourselves and our neighbors. Now, to end the year, we hear the calling of Jesus to those who know their Father, who know who they are and who see and love the people around them take our life of faith out of the building, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
When we know God’s heart it drives us in love out of our comfort zones to love and serve others. When we know who we are, beloved children of God, it will help us to see that the place God’s family is to spend most of our time and energy is in the world serving others. When we start to see our neighbors as beloved creations of God, we want to be part of bringing love, healing, hope and salvation to their lives.
As we end the year focusing on God loving the world so much that he has sent his son Jesus for us, may we understand that, as the body of Christ, God loves the world so much that he is sending us for the same reason, so others can know that love and experience “God with us” for themselves.
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to live and die for me. As you sent him, send me to live and lay down my life in love for my neighbor. I pray this in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Special Message, October 2021 Re: Luncheon
Pastor's Message, October 2021
“Exchanging ‘For’ for ‘With’”
Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20
It is fulfilling to do something for someone we love or honor, but our relationship with them will grow much deeper by spending time and doing things with them than could ever happen by just going off on our own to do things for them.
So much of what we consider “normal” Christianity falls into the category of doing things for God. Not that that is bad, but how would things look different if we changed the definition of a “normal” Christian life to be more about what we do with God to bless those around us? What would be different if we focused more on participation with God than performance for God?
I can have a certain level of relationship with my wife and kids by doing things for them, but my intimacy with them will come more from the shared time and experiences I have with them than from anything I can do for them. What if God is looking for an intimacy which is much more about what he can do in, with and through us than it is about what we can do for him?
What would it look like to trade the relationship I have with God from being a “for” relationship with God to being a “with” relationship? What if I started hearing his voice, sensing his presence and seeing his power at work in and through me on a regular basis?
Father, may every individual reading this experience a relationship that is defined more be being with you than be doing things for you.
AMEN
Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20
It is fulfilling to do something for someone we love or honor, but our relationship with them will grow much deeper by spending time and doing things with them than could ever happen by just going off on our own to do things for them.
So much of what we consider “normal” Christianity falls into the category of doing things for God. Not that that is bad, but how would things look different if we changed the definition of a “normal” Christian life to be more about what we do with God to bless those around us? What would be different if we focused more on participation with God than performance for God?
I can have a certain level of relationship with my wife and kids by doing things for them, but my intimacy with them will come more from the shared time and experiences I have with them than from anything I can do for them. What if God is looking for an intimacy which is much more about what he can do in, with and through us than it is about what we can do for him?
What would it look like to trade the relationship I have with God from being a “for” relationship with God to being a “with” relationship? What if I started hearing his voice, sensing his presence and seeing his power at work in and through me on a regular basis?
Father, may every individual reading this experience a relationship that is defined more be being with you than be doing things for you.
AMEN
Pastor's Update, September 2021
“New Beginnings”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
This fall, we will be exploring what it means to be made new, and what difference being made new will make in our understanding of ourselves, the way we experience God, our sense of purpose in the world, and the way we see and treat others.
In Christ, we have been giving a new beginning. We are not defined by the mistakes of our past. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What difference will at make that you are free from your past to live fully in the present and future?
In Christ, we have been given a new mind. The Enemy has been very successful in his agenda to mess up our lives by having us live as though his lies are true and God’s truths are lies. Jesus is the truth of God and he gives us the Holy Spirit who will remind us of what he has said and lead us into all truth. What difference will it make to live life based on truth rather than lies?
In Christ, we have been given a new heart. The Enemy has been good at hardening our hearts and making them cold. Jesus comes to give us new soft, warm hearts. What difference will it make to love fully and experience love fully because of the gift of new hearts?
In Christ, we have been given a new spirit. The enemy has been good at convincing us to live our lives based on our own resources while feeling disconnected from God. Jesus comes to baptize us in the Holy Spirit so that the life of God moves inside us and gives us resources way beyond our own human resources. What difference will it make to start living intimately with God, having his power at work in and through us?
In Christ, we have been giving a new purpose for life. The Enemy has been good at convincing our life either has no purpose at all, or that whatever purpose we have is all about us. Jesus has come to show us that we have a purpose of loving God and serving our neighbor. He has shown us that the way we discover who we are is as we give our lives away in service to others. What difference will it make to start living the true purpose of your life to glorify God and love and serve your neighbors?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
This fall, we will be exploring what it means to be made new, and what difference being made new will make in our understanding of ourselves, the way we experience God, our sense of purpose in the world, and the way we see and treat others.
In Christ, we have been giving a new beginning. We are not defined by the mistakes of our past. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What difference will at make that you are free from your past to live fully in the present and future?
In Christ, we have been given a new mind. The Enemy has been very successful in his agenda to mess up our lives by having us live as though his lies are true and God’s truths are lies. Jesus is the truth of God and he gives us the Holy Spirit who will remind us of what he has said and lead us into all truth. What difference will it make to live life based on truth rather than lies?
In Christ, we have been given a new heart. The Enemy has been good at hardening our hearts and making them cold. Jesus comes to give us new soft, warm hearts. What difference will it make to love fully and experience love fully because of the gift of new hearts?
In Christ, we have been given a new spirit. The enemy has been good at convincing us to live our lives based on our own resources while feeling disconnected from God. Jesus comes to baptize us in the Holy Spirit so that the life of God moves inside us and gives us resources way beyond our own human resources. What difference will it make to start living intimately with God, having his power at work in and through us?
In Christ, we have been giving a new purpose for life. The Enemy has been good at convincing our life either has no purpose at all, or that whatever purpose we have is all about us. Jesus has come to show us that we have a purpose of loving God and serving our neighbor. He has shown us that the way we discover who we are is as we give our lives away in service to others. What difference will it make to start living the true purpose of your life to glorify God and love and serve your neighbors?
We publish the last six months of Pastor Mark's messages here. For older messages, please refer to the newsletters.