News

Don't make your life all about the Pandemic. Today I visited a few of our elderly members in a nursing home and conducted communion with them. We listened to hymns on YouTube from my smartphone. I shared from a book I have been recently reading regarding the pandemic. It's based on Jesus' words from John 16:33. In this world you will have trouble but I have overcome the world. Christ and Calamities go together. But Christ wins, all the time. Instead of focusing on the pandemic, focus on how you are going to deal with it. Specifically, focus on your relationship with our Heavenly Father. In this pandemic, we need to walk closer with Jesus Christ. Personal Application: Starting the day and ending the day with Jesus. Instead of turning on the TV or looking at the Smart phone for the latest COVID numbers when you watch up tomorrow morning, go old school. Open a bible and ask God to speak to you. Trust me, if you pray that prayer, He will. Ask God to give you strength to cope with what the day might bring. Look for moments, opportunities where Jesus is present and working. Trust me, He is. Finish the day, as I am tonight. Instead on Netflix, I am choosing tonight to finish my day reflecting on Jesus. I've seen God worked today. My time of fellowship and communion with my brothers and sisters at the nursing was a moment of grace. God was at work in their lives.

Josh may not be perfect for Jesus. But Jesus is perfect for Josh. Yesterday I conducted the saddest funeral of my year - a 29 year-old who suicided. This person did not have an easy life even though this person was brought up in a loving Christian family. It's almost a common story. Mental Health of our next Gen is a concern. But this person has faith in Jesus. After listening to the eulogies it became apparent that this person was not perfect. Nothing terrible. Just a normal human. That became my tag line for the sermon. It's a good reminder for myself. I am not perfect. I make mistakes. But Jesus is the perfect person, the perfect sacrifice for me. It is not my role to judge. Suicide hurts more than just the person who committed it. The reality is that some people do think about ending their lives and it's has become more than just a passing thought. If that is you reading this, think again. I know life hurts. I don't know where you might be reading this, if you can get to me I am willing to listen. But I won't recommend ending it. Find a local church. Ask God to lead you to a person of peace.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. - Psalm 46:10-11 Reaching the final verses of the psalm, we now see that we have the confidence of God's presence. This means we can have confidence in God's power. Power over nature, and power over the nations. We can "be still" as we see the works of the Lord. Works that bring an end to the groaning of creation and to the raging of people. In this time of isolation, we have been granted the perfect opportunity to stop, and to behold the works of God. Are you able to see what God is doing in the midst of COVID-19? "He will be exalted among the nations; He will be exalted in the earth." The more we see the glory of God, the more that things of the world are exposed for what they are. God is glorified when his people find their joy in him and nothing else. Can you say that your only joy is found in Jesus Christ and his righteousness? May we all take this time to "be still" and know that God is God, and we are not. May his glory fill the earth! Mike

"Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire." - Psalm 46:8-9 After being reminded that God is with his people, that he is our refuge, our strength, our help in the midst of trials; we now see an instruction for us - "Come and see the works of God!" And what are these works? As we see God's power over nature and nations, we continue to be reminded that the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Armies, is unmatched. With his word he makes wars cease, he renders weapons of war useless, he melts the strongholds of men. In Amos chapter 3, God speaks "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" (Amos 3:6) - There is not an army or empire in the history of humankind that has endured - disaster comes to them all, even to Israel. So when we look around us now and see the nations crumbling and the strongholds of success, sports, social status, careers, and financial investments, et al come crashing down, we are reminded that we are not in control. We can come and see the works of the Lord as he prepares his people for the day of his return. Who else commands all the hosts of heaven? Who else could make every king bow down? Who else can whisper and darkness trembles? ...... Only a Holy God Would you come and behold him? Mike https://youtu.be/7HSdeeCm8_g ("Only a Holy God" - CityAlight - Used with permission)

"Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall, he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." - Psalm 46:6-7 While the previous verses speak of God's power over the raging of nature, we now see the power of God over the raging of nations. God speaks and the earth melts. Remember the way that God answered the prayer of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:9-19:37? The 'angel of the Lord' ; yes, just 1 angel, single-handedly wiped out 185,000 armed men in an instant! Now look at the words of Jesus, the one named Emmanuel, "God with us". To the storm he said 'be still' and it did, to the lame he said "get up" and they did, to the dead he said "wake up" and they did. When it came time for him to be arrested by armed men in the darkness of night; one of his followers took out his sword and cut of the ear of a soldier. Jesus tells him to settle down and put the sword away, adding "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Think about it, 12 legions! Now let's do some math... A Roman legion was around 5,000 men.... so that's more than 60,000 angels -- and if 1 angel effortlessly conquers 185,000 armed men, then 60,000 would take out over 11 billion soldiers. That is more than every army of every nation of all time has ever seen. The Lord of Hosts is with us. And the God of Jacob is our fortress..... Why Jacob? Remember Jacob? he wasn't such a good guy, he deceived his brother, he cheated, he lied - yet God chose him. Jacob wrestled with God - and God won. We wrestle with God too don't we? We keep striving, we make mistakes, we kick and scream when things get tough. We need a refuge, we need a fortress, a strong tower... The God of Jacob is our fortress... May you know Jesus as your fortress, as your refuge, as your strength In His strength, Mike

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day." (Psalm 46:4-5) The first people to sing this psalm would have had their minds fixed on Jerusalem as the city of God, the holy place where God dwells - and with the mighty Assyrian army camped around them at night, ready to attack, Israel sought refuge with God. King Hezekiah called on God's strength. In 2 Kings 18:9-19:37 we read of the terrors that faced Jerusalem by night - and God acting to bring peace to his people by the 'break of day'. For us today, we have a greater victory in mind... The 4th Century Church father, Ambrose of Milan, put it this way; "By his resurrection at dawn, the Lord confers on us wonderful and heavenly helps. His resurrection dispelled the night and poured on us the light of day...The Lord Jesus suffered, and by his blood forgave us our sins. The light of a pure conscience shone out and a day of spiritual grace dawned with splendor." (Ambrose of Milan, Commentary on Twelve Psalms 46.14) All followers of Jesus now 'belong to the day'; looking forward to seeing the glorious city of God that this psalm hints at, and Revelation 22 reveals to us. "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:1-5) Peace like a river!! So when darkness surrounds us, when the cities of man are in lockdown, when we are isolated, when the comforts and securities in life crumble before us, remember that Jesus entered into our darkness and clothed himself in it, so that we would be in his light. And those in his light will reign for ever and ever. In his light, Mike Eastman Song: We belong to the day (Emu Music - used by permission)

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." - Psalm 46:1-3 I wonder, where do you turn to for refuge when feeling overwhelmed? What truth do you turn to for strength? In this Psalm we see that the Lord is the refuge and strength of his people. He is the one who never fails and is always present - through all things - even now. So we do not fear - not because we believe that God is going to 'swoop in' and get rid of the coronavirus, not because we think that as his people we will be kept from infection, but because through all these things - God is with us. He is our ever-present help in trouble As we were reminded last week, Jesus tells his followers: "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 6:33) Sounds like strength to me!.. have you fled for refuge to Jesus? With his blessings, Mike Eastman