Saturday, August 19, 2017

August 20, 2017

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 25:19-25

If you have been following my blog posts this week you may wonder, "Wow, things are dark in our nation! What am I supposed to do? Will it really matter?"

My purpose this week has not been to discourage you but to be honest about how strong, determined and organized the forces of evil are! And they are on the march! And they are doubling down on their efforts.

So, the people of God need to redouble our efforts! We are on the winning side! We know the Bible promises times like this will come but it also gives us abundant guidance and reassurance.

One thing to keep in mind is this fact: THERE ARE MANY MORE OF US THAN THERE ARE OF THEM! These violent agents of chaos and mayhem represent less than 10% of Americans. Because they have the media behind them and substantial financial backing they appear more powerful than they actually are.

Remember, too, much of the Bible was written during times exactly like we are facing today. And centuries latter we still have our faith, we still have our Bible and we still have the Church. The gates of hell can make things tough on us but cannot or will not prevail against us!

The writer of Hebrews wrote this advice to believers facing days even more difficult than we are at the present. Read and reread these verses! Take them to heart! Redouble your efforts! Gathering for worship with your FredWes family is more important than ever! Encouraging each other matters more than ever! Loving Jesus and loving people to life has more significance that any other moment in your life!

Surprising your world by living out these five holy habits matters now more than ever! Blessing people and eating with people and listening to people and learning about Jesus and living with urgency WILL make a positive change in our world! You can push back the darkness and offer real hope to those within your area of influence!

FredWes and healthy local churches like her ARE the hope of the world! Believe it! Live it! Share it!

Looking forward to "gathering together" with you this morning!