Breaking Walls - Building Bridges

It never ends. Every night on the news we hear about more conflict and increasing death tolls. Right now, Syria and Egypt are currently divided with religious and political factions killing one another. But before Syria and Egypt there have been a myriad of other conflicts. In fact it seems there is always a conflict somewhere destroying human lives.

Think about your own life and the lives of people you know. How often does conflict damage relationships, break apart families, destroy dreams and leave people feeling angry, alienated and alone? Why as human beings are we so prone to conflict? Is there any way to stop conflict and regain harmony and peace?

Scripture confronts us with the uncomfortable truth about conflict. “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” (James 4:1–2) Jealousy, envy, feeling slighted, overlooked, taken for granted, or denied something we want, all these lead to conflict.

Our unrequited desires and hurt feelings build inside us and we want to strike back, seek revenge, make things “even.” These feelings can engulf us in overwhelming negativity, depression and even despair. Must we stay trapped? Is there no way out, no way to regain a sense of peace and harmony with ourselves and others?

Jesus Christ came to open the way for lasting reconciliation between people. Ephesians 2:14–16, 18 states: “For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united all of us into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He made peace between us by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled us to God by means of His death on the cross and our enmity toward each other was put to death. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

Those are nice words, but what do they really mean? Shadia Qubti and Dan Sered understand the meaning first-hand for they are living it. Shadia is an Arab Palestinian and Dan is an Israeli Jew, but both have found reconciliation through their faith in Jesus Christ. Shadia, a Christian Palestinian, says, “Christ is able to do what the world can't do.”

They are part of a growing number of Palestinians and Israelis who are actively seeking an end to centuries of conflict through reconciliation to one another in Jesus Christ. Dan, a messianic Jew describes it this way: “One by one as Jews and Arabs come to Christ, we are seeing more and more reconciliation and peace between them. It is because of the reconciliation power of the gospel of Christ. As we first and foremost seek personal reconciliation between ourselves and God, He transforms us within, giving us the ability to reach out in love toward our former enemies.”

What Shadia and Dan have discovered is true for all of us. Only Christ can break the wall of conflict that divides us from others, and only He can build a bridge of reconciliation between us through His Holy Spirit.

Come and join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. My sermon this week is “There Is Always More.” I also want to invite you to a new service we are starting this Sunday at 2:30 PM. We will follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in worship and in ministry to those who need healing. Gather with us as we break down walls and build bridges together!

Pastor Che

When Least is Most

The following story recently went viral on the social media.  Perhaps you’ve seen it.

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church where he was soon to be the new head pastor. Only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food - NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back.

As he sat in the back of the church, the elders said, "We would like to introduce you  to your new Pastor, Jeremiah Steepek." The homeless man stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him.

He walked up to the altar and recited, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; …For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? …..’

'The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” The story goes on that many people hung their head for shame, and some even cried. Pastors Steepek then challenged them, “Today I see a gathering of people, not the Church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become a disciple?”

Many, maybe even most people initially took this story literally as factual. As it turns out, the story was fabricated as a modern-day parable. Unfortunately, probably the reason that many people believed it was true is that they could easily envision it happening in church today.

I want you to think for a minute about what kinds of people are the “least” to you. By “least” I mean the hardest to relate to, the people you usually avoid. Like this story, it may be the disheveled homeless person, or it might be the elderly person with Alzheimer's, the disfigured burn victim, the person with a disability, or the mentally retarded. Maybe it's the obese person sitting across from you on a bus or train, an ethnic minority, or the socially backward techno-geek in your class. All of us have people we are uncomfortable with, and if we are honest, we would admit that we feel they are beneath us.

Jesus spent most of His time ministering to the “least.” He saw them as valuable and worth the investment. In this way, He demonstrated to His disciples what love looks like, and encouraged them to imitate Him. He told them, “The greatest among you must be the servant of all. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11–12)

By loving and serving the “least,” Christ offers us the opportunity to do the “most.” He makes it clear that when we lovingly serve those whom we consider “least,” we are actually loving and serving Him.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM when we will finish our current series on “What Love Looks Like.” One of our own pastors, Linda Wallace, will be giving the sermon that is entitled “Regeneration.”

Pastor Che

At Your Service

I recently read an article describing what Europeans like and dislike about America. Typically, they find Americans friendly and helpful, and they enjoy our cultural diversity and the fact that America has so many different types of activities to do and places to see.

Interestingly, one of the most frequently mentioned dislikes was service in restaurants. Typical European complaints were: “It was terribly annoying having a waiter interrupt me every 3 minutes to ask me if everything was okay. It's not about genuine interest in serving the customer, but seems to be a subtle reminder that the waiter expects to receive a tip. There is definitely a sense of what can I get out of serving you.”

I think it may have more to do with the type of restaurant. In upscale American restaurants, the waiters are highly knowledgeable about menu items, including how ingredients are prepared, cooked and served. They are ever present, immediately providing refills to empty glasses, placing a napkin in your lap, replenishing the bread tray, etc. without your ever having to make a request. It's almost as if they can read your mind and yet they do it unobtrusively, never interrupting your conversation or activity.

I remember one specific incident when I was stirring my after dinner coffee. A little spilled over the rim of the cup onto the doily and saucer. Without a moment’s hesitation, from out of nowhere the waiter dipped in, quietly said, “Let me take care of that for you sir,” and replaced the saucer and soiled doily. The action was so low-key that it drew no attention to my spill or to the waiter’s presence. But I certainly felt like I was the focus of his service.

People can have very different motivations in providing service to others. They may serve to be noticed or to build a positive reputation. They may serve for an anticipated future payback. They may serve out of a sense of duty, but actually resent it.

Jesus demonstrated a different kind of service to His disciples. He showed them what service looks like when it is motivated by love. On His last night, knowing He would be crucified the next day, Jesus took a towel and basin and washed each of the disciple’s feet. He was their leader, their master teacher and yet He performed a service that ordinarily would be supplied by the lowliest house servant.

After washing their feet, He said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash each other's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14–15) He further clarified this when He told them, “I have not come to be served but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

Jesus calls each one of us to service motivated by love. We serve, not for what we can get, but for what we can truly give to others. Serving their needs is our focus and our reward. For in a strangely wonderful way, it is in this type of giving service that we in turn receive the deepest personal fulfillment.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. Our current series is: “What Does Love Look Like?” and my sermon topic this week is “The Mindset of a Servant.”

Pastor Che

The Many Faces of Love

LOVE…….. It's one of the most popular and widely used words in our culture. We love everything from food to cars to sports teams to movies, songs, baby animals, hairstyles, athletic shoes, holiday destinations, tech toys and on and on. You name it; we love it.

Our everyday language is filled with love phrases such as, “love ya,” “I love it to bits,” “ya gotta love it,” “I just love…” When it comes to our attraction to each other, there’s “first love,” “puppy love,” “lovestruck,” “true love,” “blind love,” “love at first sight,” and “falling in love.” When things aren't going so well there's “no love lost between us,” “unrequited love,” “love and lose,” “love them and leave them,” and “tough love.” For the truly determined and optimistic there's always “sacrificial love,” “a labor of love” and “love conquers all.”

Love wears many faces in our culture. We seem to be constantly “in love” with something or someone. In fact we use the word “love” so frequently that we have to wonder if we aren't in danger of losing its significance altogether. Surely we don't mean that we love our spouse, children or romantic partner in the same way that we love pizza!

We only have one word for “love,” but in Greek there are four words for love. Storge is love of the familiar and comfortable and is often applied to family members. It's the kind of love we mean when we describe our favorite ice cream flavor or vacation spot. Eros is romantic or sexual love, and we know it as erotic love. Philia is the steady love of friendship. All these words represent types of love that we are all familiar with and engage in all the time.

But the fourth Greek word for love, “agape,” is generally reserved for God alone. This is a changeless love that is self-giving without expecting anything in return. It is a love that is freely chosen and given even to the unlovable. It has little to do with emotion and much to do with giving and self-sacrifice. It seeks to serve the other person and promote their good and well-being.

Romans 5:8 describes God's agape love for us: “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” When we cared nothing about God and had no love for Him, He loved us so much that He gave His own Son to die for us to show us His love. This is giving and self-sacrifice beyond comparison.

Jesus constantly showed and taught His disciples agape love. He told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be first among you must be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” His final command to the disciples was to love each other even as He had loved them.

The apostle Paul reminds us of this in Philippians 2:2–4: “Have the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Jesus calls us beyond the many faces of love we know, to learn the freedom and true joy that is found only in the face of agape love.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We are beginning a new series, “What Does Love Look Like?” My sermon this week is “Through Love, Serve One Another.”

Pastor Che.

The Loneliest Generation?

“I'm in my early teens and I am just so unhappy with my life. Everything seems so pointless.”

“I'm 15 and my teen years have been hell so far. I haven't had a single friend since elementary school. The past two nights I stayed up crying all night.”

“I feel like every day is just routine, nothing meaningful happens. I'm just so bored with my life. I can't remember the last time I was genuinely happy. Sometimes I feel so alone. I hate it. I just don't know what to do.”

These are random tweets from teenagers talking about their feelings. The American Medical Association reports that mental disorders have become the leading disability in our children, and that depression is at the top of the list. Close to 25% of US children suffer from significant depression at some point.

The recent death of “Glee” star, Cory Monteith from an overdose is a grim reminder that too often depression is claiming the lives of our young. In the past decade successful young entertainers like Brad Renfroe, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain have all died of suicide or drug overdose. And we currently seem to be producing a new crop of young potentially self-destructive personalities: Justin Bieber, Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus, Paris Jackson and Bobbi Kristina Brown come to mind. Several of them have already been hospitalized for drug problems, suicide attempts or psychological disturbance.

What's wrong? Why is this happening to our young? Psychologist James Garbarino from Loyola University in Chicago states, “The social world of children has become poisonous to their development. The lack of adult supervision and time spent doing constructive cooperative activities with adults are key aspects of this toxic social environment today. Children home alone are more vulnerable to every type of negative cultural influence they encounter than they would be if backed up by adults.”

In short, our children are lonely, not so much for meaningful peer relationships as for meaningful relationships with adults. They may be the loneliest generation ever. While peer relationships are important for teens, they cannot provide the stability and security needed to emotionally support them as they search for their identity and sense of personal worth. Unfortunately, many parents are overworked and overscheduled, and have little time to enjoy a fulfilling family life.

Those of us who are in the body of Christ must take seriously the last command given to us by Jesus Christ, “Love one another, even as I have loved you.” We need to make a conscious choice to become involved with the children around us by conversing with them, taking an interest in what they're doing and listening to their ideas and opinions. We need to give them opportunities to demonstrate their creativity and ability to meaningfully contribute in the life of the church.

We would do well to remember that God told the prophet Jeremiah when he was only a youth, “Before you were formed in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 1:5; 29:11) God entrusts the mission of encouraging and empowering young people to us. Let's not let Him or them down.

Please join us at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM this Sunday morning. We will be concluding our first Women’s Conference, Heirs Designed to Reign, and our guest speakers Patricia King and Faytene Grasseschi will be preaching.

Pastor Che