Finishing Well

John Stephen Akjwari, a world class distance runner, competed in the marathon at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City.  As author Sandy Grant writes, “Approximately 19 km into the 42 km race, there was jostling between some runners and he fell badly.  He wounded his knee and his shoulder also hit hard against the pavement.  In fact, his leg was bleeding and his knee was apparently dislocated.”  Medical staff, after tending to his injuries, urged him to withdraw from the race.

However, Akjwari continued running while at times slowly limping in his effort to finish the race.  Of the 57 competitors who completed the race he finished last, well over an hour later than the winner.

As he entered the stadium only a few thousand people remained to witness his crossing the finish line.  When asked later why he ignored the advice of the medical staff to withdraw, Akjwari stated, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles just to start the race; they sent me to finish the race.”

Every disciple of Christ is called to finish the race of life well.  What does this look like?  How can we know that we are finishing well?  Why is it important to finish well?  What is the reward for those who finish well?

Join us this week as we look at 2 Timothy 4:6-8 in search of the answers to these and other questions.  May we be prayerfully prepared to hear the call of the Holy Spirit as we dig into God’s Word and may we grow to understand how God is calling us to finish  well.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Preach the Word

In college I was the backup to one of the best offensive linemen in our conference.  This meant that I was seldom given the opportunity to play in a game.  Yet, I had to prepare for each game with the same intensity as if I was starting.  Because of the violent nature of football the chances of injury were always great meaning that if the man I was backing up was hurt in the middle of a game I was called upon to take his place.  It could be a disaster if I wasn’t prepared at every moment to fulfill what I was called upon to perform.

The gospel message is so powerful and important that every disciple of Christ should be prepared to speak the gospel at any moment’s notice.  In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 the apostle Paul again stresses the power and importance of the gospel message and the reason for being prepared to speak the life-changing Word of God.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look to God’s Word for encouragement and conviction, heading and striving to live out His life-giving Word.  May we be prayerfully prepared to experience His Truth and leave willing to preach the Word whenever and wherever God calls.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

The Power of the Word

After his Edmonton Oilers lost the 1983 National Hockey League Championship to the New York Islanders, Wayne Gretzky walked past the Islander locker room.  He did not hear loud celebrations as he expected.  Instead, all the Islanders players were sitting down with ice packs on knees, hips, ankles, and other joints.  They were beaten, bloody, and bruised in their quest to win the championship.  Gretzky recognized that if he and his teammates desired to win a championship their bodies would have to pay the price.  Gretzky and his teammates would go on to win five championships in the next seven years.

One would think that being a child and disciple of the Almighty God would bring a life of comfort, ease, and peace without any troubles or trials.  One would think, but reality is much different.  There is a price to pay for the disciple of Christ who lives in a world that denies and hates Christ.  There are consequences for the child of God who lives out their faith unashamedly.  But though the cost of living for God is high the rewards are eternal.  For the power of the Word of God, namely the Gospel message, has a power to change, mold, encourage, convict, renew, and equip the believer of Jesus Christ into all righteousness.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we dig deeper into 2 Timothy 3:10-17 and seek God’s wisdom and guidance as we search out His truth for our lives.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Godlessness

For a number of years it was our family tradition in the Fall to drive to a friend’s farm and pick out pumpkins for decoration and carving.  There were generally three types of pumpkins: those which were already rotten and decaying, those which were healthy and ready to be picked, and those which appeared healthy but were rotten on the inside.  It was wise to avoid these later pumpkins because your hands could easily break through skin and cause them to fall apart.  The struggle was determining which pumpkins were playing the part of health and which were actually healthy.

As the pastor/elder of the church in Ephesus, Timothy encountered teachers who on the outside had the appearance of health and Godly truth, but on the inside were rotten to the core.  Paul warns Timothy to keep an eye out for such deceivers.  In 2 Timothy 3:1-9 he provides a list of “fruit” which can be used to identify those counterfeit Christian teachers in Timothy’s midst.  But Paul also provides an encouragement for Timothy.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community as God’s Word teaches us how to recognize those who have a healthy façade but are rotten in the heart, those who seem to be teaching right doctrine, but teach falsehoods meant to deceive and lead people astray from the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

May we be prayerfully prepared to hear God’s Word, worship Him together as His people, and encounter the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

The Servant of God

Sign on door: “Gone out of business.  Didn’t know what our business was.”  (University Christian Church, NY, 1963).

The background story to the above statement must certainly be interesting.  It is difficult to run a business successfully when one does not know the business of the business (if you get my drift).

The same can be said for the church of God.  Though the body of Christ is far from a business, it is true that the church cannot be the church is it doesn’t know how to be the church.  In other words, everything done by the church must have a focus, a purpose, an end-goal.  This is far from the Purpose Driven Life made famous by Rick Warren.  This is the purpose driven life to which the church has been called by our Creator God.

In 2 Timothy 2:22-26 Paul once again encourages Timothy to flee sinfulness, pursue righteousness, and correct false teachers.  But the full purpose behind this is not to have Timothy’s or the church’s reputation held high.  The end game is far greater than any reputation of a man or group of believers.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look at God’s Word together, seeking the truth, and striving to give God the glory in all things.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Set Apart for a Godly Task

Recently my brother-in-law and I replaced a window in my house which was not doing it’s job.  The purpose of a window is to keep the weather out and let the sunshine in, but this window was failing to do one while accomplishing the other.  As we removed the old window the true extent of the problems became obvious.  Much of the wood around the window was rotten due to the window’s lack of ability to keep the weather outside.  To fix this issue we replaced the rotten wood with new, treated wood before replacing the entire window. 

There are times when the church is not accomplishing the good work that God has called it to undertake.  It has allowed rot to set in and some major renovation needs to take place.  The rot must be removed.  Or to use the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:21, the church is in need of a good cleansing.

The church of God is called to be set apart, to be holy, for Godly work.  How can the rot within the church be recognized and dealt with quickly?  How does this truth affect the church as a whole and each individual within the church of God?  What renovations need to be done within the church so that it can accomplish it’s call?

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we study 2 Timothy 2:20-21 and discover God’s desire for us as His people.

Striving to know Christ and make him known!

A Hymn of Praise

“A farmer took a piece of bad earth and made things flourish thereon.  Proud of his accomplishments, he asked his minister to come by and see what he had done.  The minister was impressed.  ‘That’s the tallest corn I’ve ever seen.  I’ve never seen anything as big as those melons.  Praise the Lord!’  He went on that way about every crop, praising the Lord for it all.  Finally, the farmer couldn’t take it anymore.  ‘Reverend,’ he said, ‘I wish you could have seen this place when the Lord was doing it by himself’” (Ronald Reagan, in a speech in Indianapolis).

This farmer does not realize that no matter how much care he puts into his crops, they could not and would not grow without the Lord’s power and grace.  The same can be said for the human heart when it comes to salvation.  Pride tends to get in the way and credit for all the “accomplishments” in our faith and salvation begin to point inwardly.  But the reality of salvation and sanctification (becoming more like Jesus Christ) is that it can only happen through the power of Christ.

The words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 are a reminder to us all where all credit and praise should be focused. For he is the life-giving, unchanging, and faithful King.  To Him be glory forever and ever.

2 Timothy 2:11-13  (ESV)

11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12        if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

13        if we are faithless, he remains faithful—  

      for he cannot deny himself.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as God’s Word comes alive, meeting us where we are, and changing us for his glory and praise.

Striving to know Christ and make him known,

Pastor Mark

Four Encouragements for Disciples

As a father of three beautiful children, I am constantly reminded of its blessings and difficulties.  The blessings of parenting include seeing your child’s face brighten as you walk through the door from a day at work, cuddles, wrestling, and hugs (only to name a few).  But one of the difficulties of parenting is the seemingly constant need for reminding children of the difference between good and poor decisions. 

One difficult instance occurred when one child was “pushing the buttons” of their sibling.  I could see the anger and frustration rising in the one being “pushed” and the need suddenly arose for the father to step in to remind them to find self-control.  Self-control does not come easily or naturally to any of us.  It takes time, effort, and constant encouragement.  In this case, I encouraged them to calm down by going to their room to let out their frustrations.  After this “calming session” they were able to rejoin life with the family without the danger of retaliation.

In 2 Timothy 2:3-7 Paul encourages Timothy to remember four things that are needed for him to fulfill his holy calling from God.  As the children of God we too need a reminder of how to live out our holy calling.  Join us this week as we look into these four reminders and may we find encouragement together as we look into His Truth, the Word of God.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Do Not Be Ashamed of the Gospel

In Matthew 26:69-75 we read the well-known passage of Peter’s denial of Jesus.  After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed him to the courtyard of the high priest.  Three times Peter was identified as a disciple of Jesus and three times he denied the charge.  Why would Peter, such a strong-willed and ardent disciple, do such a thing?  It could be that he was attempting to avoid the same fate as Christ.  It could be that the situation was so overwhelming to him that he didn’t know what to do but deny knowing Jesus.  Whatever the reason one thing is clear.  In that moment, Peter was ashamed to know Jesus and confess his allegiance to Him.

In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of the testimony that he has confessed.  In other words, do not be ashamed of the gospel in which you have believed and do not hesitate to share with others the truth of the gospel message.  No matter the consequences.

Join us this week as we look more deeply into why we should not be ashamed of the gospel message and what Paul’s own life teaches us about perseverance despite any persecution for our faith.  May we be prayerfully prepared to hear his word of truth which has the power to changes lives.