The Greatest Love

Last week I wrote about Batkid Miles Scott, the six-year-old superhero who captured our hearts and saved San Francisco from crime. His story reminded us of the importance of living our dreams and the fact that Father God has a purpose and destiny for each of us that gives us a life worth living.

This week I want to focus on another young superhero, Patrick Doohan, the 8-year-old who saved the lives of 6 people from a raging fire. On January 19, Patrick was visiting his grandfather in Penfield, New York, when fire broke out in the trailer where his grandfather lived with several other people. Patrick was able to awaken 6 people and lead them to safety, including 2 young children 4 and 6 years old.

Once outside, Patrick realized that his grandfather, who was disabled, was still in the trailer, and he went back in to rescue him. Unfortunately both Patrick and his grandfather were overcome with heat and smoke and died in the fire.

Patrick's funeral was January 29 and firefighters from multiple jurisdictions attended in dress uniform. Patrick was given the title of honorary firefighter by the Penfield fire chief, who marveled at the courage and heroism Patrick displayed. He stated, “Patrick showed valor and strength and paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

As I heard Patrick's story, I too was amazed at the courage of this young child who was willing to risk his life to save his grandfather. I'm sure he understood that the fire was very dangerous, but something greater drew him back into the trailer to find his grandfather. I am convinced that “something greater” was love.

I found myself identifying the people I would be willing to run back into a fire to rescue. I have to admit that after naming my family members, my list thinned out quickly. My guess is that if honest, we would all admit that our list is quite short.

Imagine for a moment that the person in the fire is your enemy, someone who's been trying to kill you. Would you be willing to face a raging fire to save them?

On the night before He was crucified, knowing what He would face the next day, Jesus stated the ultimate human sacrifice His disciples could understand, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down their life for their friends.” (John 15:13)

But the next day He demonstrated the greatest love of all, by dying for His enemies. In agony on the cross, while His enemies mocked and hurled insults at Him, Jesus responded in love, “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Scripture tells us while we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) Father God loves you so much that He displayed the greatest love of all, sacrificing His only Son to reconcile you to Himself. You are worth that much to Him! Let His love, the greatest love, touch your heart and reveal to you, your true value.

Please join us this Sunday as we conclude our annual Prophetic Voice Conference. We have outstanding guest speakers at each service: Jonathan Ngai at 9:00 AM, Charles Stock at 11:00 AM and Fernando Guillen at 2:00 PM.

Pastor Che

A Life Worth Living

The San Francisco newspaper headlines read:  Batkid Saves City!

It was an unforgettable event. On a day in mid-November 2013, Batkid descended on San Francisco, arriving in the Batmobile with Batman, and immediately displayed his superpowers by rescuing a damsel in distress, capturing The Riddler, saving the Giant’s mascot from the Penguin and receiving the keys of the city from mayor, Ed Lee.

It was the fulfillment of 5-year-old Miles Scott's dream and was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Batman is his favorite superhero and Miles is a true superhero himself, having successfully battled leukemia since he was 20 months old.

What was surprising and heartwarming was how the city embraced this pint sized superhero on his special day. The morning news aired an urgent appeal from the city's chief of police for Batman and Batkid to help crush crime. Over 14,000 city residents showed up to cheer Miles on and help him live his dream. At the end of the day when asked what was the best part, Miles grinned and replied, “Saving the world!”

It was a wonderful news story that captured the heart of a nation. What made it so appealing to all of us? I think deep inside we all have dreams of being a sort of superhero, of doing something really significant that leaves the world a better place. We may lose touch with it as we become adults, but its memory is easily revived in the eager eyes of a 5-year-old.

When people are asked the question, “What makes a life worth living?” the most common responses center on relationships, doing productive work that makes a positive contribution, being creative and involved in personal growth, and helping and serving others. One researcher summed it up, “What seems to make a life worth living is the sense that a unique purpose awaits each one of us, and our highest and best destiny is to find and fulfill it.”

For many of us, that sense of purpose and destiny becomes dim as our lives fall into daily routines that stretch into years and even decades. As we launch into adulthood the possibilities seem endless, but over time opportunities get bypassed and too often our dreams of a destiny full of significance fade.

What makes your life worth living? When's the last time you were excited about the possibilities for your destiny? One of the richest blessings we can have is a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment as our life journey unfolds. Father God wants to bestow this blessing on us. He created each one of us with a unique purpose and destiny that will produce in us a life worth living.

It doesn't matter what's gone on in your life up to now. It's never too late to rediscover the dream and find that life worth living. In Philippians 3:13–14, the apostle Paul encourages us, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Father God has a prize for you: the blessing of life full of destiny and purpose. Open your heart to receive His blessing today.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. We will be continuing our series on The Ten Decrees of Blessing.

Pastor Che

The Walk of Shame

If you make a habit of watching the news, you have been inundated nightly with images of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and reports on “Bridgegate.” Everything about Christie is larger-than-life, from his 5'11", 350 pound frame to his aggressive, unapologetic and “in your face” style. In his own words, Christie admits, “I'm not a subtle personality,” but many people like how he speaks his mind in a straightforward manner.

However, a very different Chris Christie emerged on January 9 when he held a marathon press conference to address the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September. Looking like an embarrassed college coed facing the walk of shame, Christie was subdued, humble and contrite. He described himself as humiliated and embarrassed, and heartbroken that he had been blindsided and betrayed by staffers he trusted.

Although he disavowed any prior knowledge of the event, Christie did what we expect of a leader when a blunder has occurred. He owned up to the responsibility saying, “I am responsible for what occurs on my watch, good or bad.” After the conference, commentators noted that Christie was either telling the truth or had just delivered an Oscar worthy performance. Everyone agrees that if it turns out that Christie is being less than honest, his political ambitions for the presidency are “toast.”

Chris Christie perfectly modeled the behavior we expect when a significant wrong has occurred and needs to be addressed. We expect to see appropriate guilt, shame and regret convincingly expressed. We expect the same thing of ourselves when we have “blown it.” Our failure may be very private, but we frequently still put ourselves through the walk of shame.

How many times have you raked yourself over the coals for behavior you now regret with self-statements like: “What was I thinking?” “How could I be so stupid?” “I really blew that one.” “I'll never be able to live this down.” “How can I ever face them again?”

We grill ourselves over and over until we have shamed and punished ourselves enough to somehow feel that we’ve paid for our mistake. When people do not act this way, we say they “lack conscience development” and call them “sociopaths.”

This way of dealing with our failures is so ingrained in us that we approach Father God as if He expects the walk of shame from us. We feel so unworthy before Him, and so humiliated, especially if it's a repetitive failure. It's hardly a moment for us to “come boldly before the throne.”

When we do this, we fail to understand the blessing Father God has bestowed upon us by making us righteous in Christ Jesus. When the Lord looks at you, He sees you as sinless and as perfect as Jesus. We are given this very powerful assurance in Corinthians 5:21: “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Father God wants you to approach Him with boldness and confidence because you are entitled to, and no mistake you could ever make can change that. Jesus Christ took all our failures upon Himself, and obliterated them through His death on the cross. Learn to accept the blessing of your righteousness in Christ and start relating to the Father as His beloved child.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. I am continuing our current series on “The Power of Blessing.”

Pastor Che

The Power of Blessing

As a young black child living in inner-city Detroit, Ben Carson looked like an early failure just waiting to happen. His parents divorced when he was 8, and he reacted to the loss of his father by becoming angry and aggressive. He had a violent temper and frequently assaulted his peers at the slightest provocation. He lost interest in school and by the time he was in 4th grade, he was at the bottom of his class.

As a single parent with little education and no real employment skills, Ben's mother worked 2 and 3 jobs just to make ends meet. Often this meant she was away from home from 5 AM to 11 PM, and Ben would go days at a time without seeing her. Ben's clothing was from the Goodwill and his classmates teased him, which was a constant source of embarrassment.

Ben seemed to be on the fast track to becoming a school dropout and getting involved with substance abuse and/or gang membership. But Ben had a powerful advantage that many children in his position lack. Ben's mother believed in her son and had positive expectations for him. She limited his television time, made his outdoor play contingent upon completing homework first, and required him to read two library books each week and write a written book report.

Ben would have absolutely rebelled at this regimen, but his mother did one more all-important thing. She constantly encouraged him and praised his efforts, frequently reminding him that he could become anything he chose to work for. She was convinced he would go far. She displayed interest in the books he read, and scrutinized his written reports carefully.

Spurred on by his mother's approval, Ben began to love reading and the world of knowledge it opened to him. By the end of the 5th grade he was at the top of his class, amazing his teachers. He graduated with top honors from high school, attended Yale, then medical school, and became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins at the young age of 33. In 1987 he gained international acclaim by being the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate 8-month-old twins joined at the head.

Ben Carson’s story is more than just a heartwarming tale. It is a striking example of the power of blessing in the life and destiny of a person. Ben’s mother continually planted positive words about him in his mind and heart. The power of her blessing opened the doors of a great destiny for him.

About now you may be thinking “I wish I had someone like that at my back. Someone who really believed in me and encouraged me.” I have good news for you. Father God totally believes in you and wants you to have a great destiny. Psalm 21 assures us, “You (Father God) have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips, for you meet him with rich blessings. You make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with the joy of your presence.”

As you begin 2014, keep your mind and heart focused on Father God’s many blessings to you. Remember that He is totally for you and as the apostle Paul put it, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. I'm beginning a new series entitled The Power of Blessing. This Sunday my message is entitled, “The 10 Decrees of Blessing, part I”. We will corporately begin to decree God’s promises over your life in this New Year.

Pastor Che

The Trade-Off

I am going to do something that I almost never do, recommend that you see a movie. The movie is “Saving Mr. Banks,” and it is currently playing in theaters. It is the back story of Walt Disney's nearly 20 year struggle to obtain the film rights for “Mary Poppins” from the book’s author PL Travers.

Disney is puzzled by Ms. Travers extreme rigidity regarding any screen modifications to her characters or story line. Over time, he comes to realize that her reluctance to compromise in any degree is due to the fact that she is stuck in the personal past that she has woven into her books about Mary Poppins. Disney proposes a unique trade-off to liberate Ms. Travers and gain his long-sought right to produce the movie.

“Saving Mr. Banks” is a movie about personal redemption. For many people redemption is a religious word, but it is simply another way to express the idea of a trade-off. Redemption is the act of regaining possession of something that has been lost in exchange for some type of payment or clearing of debt.

I have pastored for several decades and one of the most consistent needs I see in people is the need for personal redemption from their past. Too many people continue to struggle with past traumas, disappointments, failures and regrets. They are unable to fully participate and enjoy their current life because they are dragging a load of unfinished business from their past. Even though it is self-defeating, they tenaciously clutch this “past baggage” and allow it to hinder and contaminate their present.

Father God wants to liberate us from whatever may be in our past by offering us the trade-off purchased by His Son, Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:13 describes the trade-off. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law of sin and death by becoming a curse for us––for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ (i.e. is crucified).”

Most Christians understand that Jesus’ death redeemed them by providing forgiveness for their sins. However, not many realize that Father God's trade-off went much further. All injustice and wrong doing, whether our own or committed against us by the actions of someone else, carries a curse of pain, shame or regret that holds us captive to our past. In dying on the cross, Jesus literally became that curse in order to set us free.

Father God's trade-off is the subject of Psalms 30:11–12 and Isaiah 61:3. “You (Father God) have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and filled me with gladness. To everyone who mourns, You give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of morning, festive praise instead of despair.”

Too many Christians have not accepted this full trade-off offered to them by Father God. Release your past to Him and in exchange He will give you freedom and a wonderful present!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Our Pastor Karl Malouff will be speaking at all three services.

Pastor Che