If you’re spiritually alive, you’re going to love this!

If you’re spiritually dead, you won’t want to read it.

If you’re spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.   ”I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons..  But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them.  So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

“I’ve been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”  When you are DOWN to nothing….. God is UP to something!  Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!  Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!  

When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say,

“Jesus, could you get that for me?”

It may seem foolish to most today. I am sure the people in Noah’s time felt that way also, till the Rain came.

It may seem foolish to most today. I am sure the people in Egypt at Moses time felt that way at first.

It may seam foolish to most today; however, tomorrow you might not thing so.

Don’t you think it’s worth looking into? If I am wrong and you are right nothing has been lost for the both of us.

 If you are wrong you have lost everything and I still have lost nothing.

Jesus says in John 14:6  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Come to Church! Check it out! It might change your Life forever!

 Mat 7:24-27  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

One thing these two men had in common

They both went through the storm.

By building on the rock (JESUS CHRIST) we will be able to with stand the storms of life.

                  SUNDAY –  JESUS, THE RESURRECTION                  

For those who have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and fallen on that Rock and been broken by it, comes the good news of Jesus’ words in John chapter 11, verse 25.  “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.”

As Jesus’ followers, we may have to experience death just like all of mankind, but we do not stay dead.  Just like Jesus, we will be resurrected to an eternal life in Heaven with Jesus, our Savior and King.  We will experience Jesus’ coronation and we will be made perfect in His image.  Everything we have put our faith in will be sight.  “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)  Oh, how we look forward to that day!

However, one thing believers fail to realize is that you started living that life eternal the day you accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins and began a new life with Christ.  John 17:3 tells us this, “And this is the way to have eternal life–to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”  The way to have eternal life is to know God and His only Son, Jesus Christ.  You receive that eternal life the moment you commit your life to Christ.  You can experience what heaven is like right now, by having that relationship and fellowship with the Almighty God of the Universe.  You don’t have to wait! 

How can you experience God while here on this earth?  You need to read His Word daily.  Meditate on it.  Allow it to become a part of you.  Commit your life to Christ Jesus and live your life by FAITH in agreement with His Word, each moment, each day, all the time.  It is in that relationship that you will experience love, joy, peace and grace.

“The one thing I ask of the LORD– the thing I seek most– is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in His Temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

Praying that you seek to live the resurrected life!

Bible Verses from NLT

SATURDAY – JESUS, THE ROCK  

“Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when He said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that causes people to stumble, and a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  — Romans 9:32-33

The Rock of our salvation is now laid in a tomb sealed securely by a large stone and protected by Roman guards.  Now is the testing of your faith.  Jesus has been crucified.  The Sacrifice has been made.  His body now placed in a tomb, sealed by a rock and protected by Roman guards.

What about this Rock?  Romans 9, verse 32-33 tell us that Jesus is that great Rock.  The Bible tells us that everyone is going to have an interaction with this Rock.  Do you believe Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, therefore a Rock of salvation and refuge or are you trying to be good in doing what is right and expecting that will save you?

Jesus, the Rock of Salvation is a strong refuge, a safe hiding place for those who recognize their sin and desire His protection.

Jesus is also the rock which will cause some to stumble and they will be crushed by it and will not find that safe hiding place. (Matthew 21:44)

At some point, everyone must face Jesus, the Rock.

Bible Verses from NLT

“In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.     (Hebrews 9:22) 

We have all committed sins.  Sins that God will hold us accountable for someday.  We are sinners, plain and simple.  According to the verse in Hebrews chapter 9, we are in need of a sacrifice.  There must be the shedding of blood.  There has to be a sacrifice so that we can be forgiven.  But, what sacrifice?  What blood?  What blood could grant me God’s forgiveness for my sins?  Yes, it had to be blood.  But, not just any blood.  You see, it had to be the blood from a perfect Lamb.  Blood from a Lamb with no spots or blemish.  It had to be the BEST Lamb. 

It had to be Jesus’ blood, the only Lamb of God, just as John recognized in John chapter 1, verse 29.  Pure blood, without any sin.  That could only be accomplished by God coming to earth in the form of a man – Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, and being sacrificed for us.  Animal blood cannot cleanse us.  The blood of a good person would do us no good.  Only the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God meets all of God’s requirements.

Jesus had to die.  He had to shed His perfect blood so that we could receive God’s forgiveness and God’s acceptance.

Do you recognize your sin and the need for Jesus to sacrifice His body and shed His blood for your forgiveness?  Jesus shed His blood, and not just a pin prick, but He gave all so that you can be forgiven.

Isaiah chapter 53, verse 5-6, “But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!  All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the guilt and sins of us all.”

Have you accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin? 

Thank you, Jesus for being my sacrifice.  Thank you for shedding your blood to take away my sin.

Bible Verses from NLT

THURSDAY -  JESUS, THE OBEDIENT SON  

“Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”  Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” – John 18:37-38

Upon reading this verse, one has to refer back to Matthew 1:21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”  The reason Jesus came to this world was to save His people.  It was God’s plan from the beginning of the world that Jesus would come and give His life.  Man could not take the life of Jesus, He offered it freely.  Why?  Because He was completely obedient to His Father.   “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Why would Jesus’ Father ask Him to die this cruel death on a Roman cross?  We find the answer in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”  It was His love for you.

Jesus’ will was to glorify His Father in heaven.  He was perfect in obedience.  He was perfect in love.  Those two characteristics are what brought Him to the cross.  His love for His Father and His love for you created in Him unwavering obedience to the call on His life.  Everything He did, everything He said was because of His desire to be obedient to the will of His Father.

As a follower of Jesus Christ then, you too are called to be an obedient child.  You are to be obedient to the call of Christ on your life.  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 

Christian, are you being true to the Christ who died for you?  Are you being obedient to Him?  What is the Christ who loved you enough to die for you, calling you to do?  Is it too much for Him to ask you to be obedient in this?

Bible Verses from NLT

Have you ever loved someone as a close friend?  Someone you were willing to share your deepest, darkest secrets with?  You might think I am talking about Jesus, but I’m not.  Jesus is indeed a close friend with whom you may share your innermost thoughts and secrets with, but have you ever thought that Jesus considers you to be a friend He can share His heart with?

I was looking through the Gospels and was amazed at how often Jesus plainly told His disciples His secrets, things He did not share with everyone.  Bluntly, He tells them in Matthew 26, verse 1, that He is going to be crucified.  Then again in verse 17 of the same chapter, He tells them that He is going to be struck and they are going to be scattered.  You see, He didn’t just tell them the pretty things they wanted to hear, but He told them the truth.  That’s important to any friendship, isn’t it?  Would you want a friend who only told you what you wanted to hear, or would you desire a friend who was honest with you?

In John chapter 15, Jesus calls His disciples His friends.  He tells them plainly that a master doesn’t confide in His servants, therefore He considers them His friends because He told them everything the Father had told Him.  He kept no secrets from them.  They had the closest of relationships. 

But, He didn’t just share the hard stuff with them.  He comforted them when He knew they were fearful.  He rejoiced with them when they were happy.  He spent countless hours with them, teaching them and sharing with them.  He loved them more than they had ever been loved before or since, and He never stopped loving them. 

It is that same relationship that Jesus desires to have with you today.  He desires to hear all your innermost thoughts and desires.  He has shared His heart with you through His Word, the Bible.  If you want to know Jesus and experience the deepest love relationship of all, first, read His Word and think about it all day long.  Listen to what He says to you through it.  Secondly, talk to Him through prayer.  You can share every thought and every moment with your friend, Jesus, every day. 

Bible Verses from NLT

In John chapter 13, we find the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.  What is interesting about this story is if you will notice in verse 3, “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”  Jesus knew who He was.  He knew He was the Son of God.  He knew He was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and yet, He was humble enough to wash the disciples’ feet.  What a lowly chore for a King, let alone the King of Kings.  Why would He do such a thing?

What is so extremely unique to Jesus and so obvious about His character is His humility.  Here we find the King of Kings, the Son of God Almighty, girded with a towel and washing the filth from the feet of common sinners.  What a picture of love!  And yet, the story doesn’t stop there.  Not only did He wash their feet, but He suffered a grueling, torturous death on a cross for these unworthy sinners! 

Jesus didn’t just clean our feet.  He cleansed our very soul, making us acceptable in the sight of a holy God.  He didn’t save us just to be His servants, but His saved us to be His friends and heirs to His heavenly throne.  What great love is that?

In Matthew 20:28, Jesus openly confesses that He did not come to be served, but to serve.  Jesus wasn’t just being a servant, but was also showing us what He expects from His followers.  In First Peter, chapter 5, verse 5, “And all of you, serve each other in humility, for ‘God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.’”  God doesn’t just expect us to be humble, He commands it.

How humble are you toward others?  Do you have a tendency to “lord” over your fellow believers in the church?  Do you consider yourself proud and above others or do you lead with humility?  Are you patient, loving and kind to those who are immature in the faith, leading them by humble example?  Or do you chastise them with unnecessary traditions and discourage them with burdens too much for them?  Likewise, do you reverence those in authority over you?  Do you submit yourself to those God has placed in authority over you?  Be careful how you treat God’s children.

In freedom, serve one another in love.” – Galatians 5:13

Bible Verses from NLT

My beautiful wife and I just had what I consider the best weekend of our 10 year marriage.  We went to what is called the “Weekend to Remember” conference, by the wonderful Christian Ministry “Family Life”.  I just cannot contain myself for the joy that I feel is huge!  This weekend was amazing for us.  We laughed and we cried and we rediscovered our love and our passion for each other.  We learned so much about each other this weekend and we opened up to each other in ways we have never done before.  I cannot recommend this enough.  It is for ANY married couple no matter what stage of life you may be in.  Newlyweds and especially Pre-married couple should work this conference into their schedules right now. Even if you have been married for thirty, forty even fifty years, you can rediscover your spouse in special and magnificent ways.  It’s time to rediscover what God’s intention for your marriage is and if you go, not only will your relationship with your spouse be renewed, but so too will your relationship with God.  For 10 years I have missed out and have not properly honored Cassandra, my wife, because I missed out on one essential truth…  That she is God’s gift to me and I had to ACCEPT her as such, before I could truly understand her place in my life.  Once you figure that out, then you realize that you don’t abuse, mistreat or tear down God’s gift but rather honor God’s gift following his Word.  We have promised each other that will never again let LIFE get the better of us. We will continue down this road of honoring and loving one another above all else, except God himself, and will work to fulfill each other completely.  Whether it is in how we speak to each other or how we serve each other our goal is now to work toward that most important condition that God has intended for us… ONENESS

If you are interested in attending one of these conferences, I think the last one in Kansas this year is coming up in 3 weeks in KC.  Go to http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.5846045/k.F479/Attend_a_conference.htm to find out all the details.

Cassandra and I have decided to do this again next year, because we truely want to continue down this road and we want to be able to look back and see how far we have come.  I don’t recommend that any one wait if they can find the time and the money to do it now, then DO IT..  Otherwise, I will be forming a group to go next year..

Wayne Campbell