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    • Christ will meet us where we are…

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on May 14, 2018

      Romans 10:9-10 (MSG) It is the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Saying the welcoming word to God – “Jesus is Master” – embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Christ from the dead. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

      After his conversion, Paul desired for the nation of Israel to have salvation. The same salvation he had found in Jesus Christ. He worked so hard and sacrificed much to teach them about Christ. Instead of being stuck in religious tradition, Paul wanted to introduce the Jews to the Christ he had bumped into on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18).

      Christ knew everything about Paul. He knew that Paul had spent his much of his life persecuting and killing the Christians (Phil. 3:6). But Christ loved Paul too much to let him stay that way. (He loves us too much for us to stay the way we are too.) God had a plan and purpose for Paul’s life (ours too) and it wasn’t following the law or religious tradition perfectly, it was using his life as an example to tell others about Jesus. After the Damascus road experience Paul embraced Christ and put his complete trust in Him. Paul no longer tried to set things right by being perfect, he allowed Christ to come into his heart. He accepted Christ’s gift of grace and received mercy and forgiveness for every sin he committed and would ever commit. That is salvation.

      The only road to salvation and eternal life is through Christ. He offers us the same opportunity he gave Paul. Christ will meet us where ever we are…even if it’s at the bottom of the deepest, darkest pit. He will meet you there.

      “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (Romans 10: 9, 11) NRSV

      One thing we must keep in mind is that God is a gentleman; He is not intrusive and will not invade your life. The choice is yours. Christ knocks at the door of your heart.

      Christ desires a personal relationship with us but we have to invite him to be a part. Have you opened the door to your heart, or are you too busy enjoying the things of this world to hear him?

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      Posted in salvation | 0 Comments
    • What do people see?

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on May 11, 2018

      2 Corinthians 6: 1 – 4(NCV) “We are workers together with God, so we beg you: Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. God says, “At the right time I heard your prayers. On the day of salvation I helped you.” — Isaiah 49:8 I tell you that the “right time” is now, and the “day of salvation” is now. We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so nothing we do will be a problem for anyone. But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems.”

      When we accept Christ as our Savior, we ourselves become an ambassador for Jesus Christ. As Christians (which means little Christ) people tend to view everything we do through a different lens. In some cases, everything we say and do is put under a microscope as if they are just waiting for us to trip up so they can say “I thought you were a Christian!”

      Have you ever experienced that before? I know I have.

      In many cases the only Jesus some people will ever see is the Jesus we show them throughout our daily activities. So what does that Jesus look like at work? How does that Jesus handle conflict with coworkers? How does that Jesus utilize company time and resources? What about at home, how does that Jesus treat family and friends? How does that Jesus forgive? How does that Jesus handle anger? How does that Jesus discipline children?

      I could go on but do you see my thought process here? Looking at how people view my life through this lens blew my mind.

      Paul’s point: We must always be mindful of what our action communicate about Jesus Christ to others.

      I got some things to work on… anybody with me?

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      Posted in christian living, Christian walk, fruits of the Spirit | 0 Comments
    • Relentless waves and a dollar store raft

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on May 10, 2018

      Psalm 18:16-19 (MSG) But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

      Psalm 18 is a song of victory David sang to the Lord when the Lord saved him from King Saul and his other enemies. While reading through these verses in the Message paraphrases I could certainly relate to a few of the words David used to describe what God had gotten him through. Did you notice the same words I did?

      Ocean, Chaos, Void and Drowning

      Let’s just face it, sometimes the “stuff” of life gets overwhelming. Situations or events can seem like you are drowning in an ocean of chaos and you can’t find your way out of the dark void surrounding you.

      Anyone relating yet?

      There have been times in my life when I have felt like I’m sitting in a dollar-store raft being tossed out of control by the relentless waves of a raging sea during a category five hurricane. While the circumstances around me rage, I convince myself the storm will eventually chew me up and spit me out.

      But that’s not the truth of God’s word is it?  NOPE! It’s a lie of the enemy. The truth is that God rescues me; just like He rescued David from his enemies, and just like He will rescue you from whatever storm you’re facing.

      At this moment are there any “life-storms” threatening to chew you up? Are you so consumed by them that it’s nearly impossible for you to see past them? There is ONLY ONE way to find hope, healing and protection from the battering sea…His name is Jesus!

      Yes… the “calmer of the storm” (Matthew 8: 23 – 27) wants to help us navigate through the treacherous waters we find ourselves in at times. We never have to question or be surprised by that truth. Jesus cares so deeply for us. If Jesus had a cell phone or a computer monitor, our face would be His background image. He cherishes us. He delights in us. Jesus doesn’t want us to be consumed and torn apart by the storms of life. He wants to give us the abundant life He promises in John 10:10 (MSG) “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

      Did you know that our life-storms can bring honor and glory to God? It’s true! We bring honor to God by the way we choose to handle our  storm. How do you react when you’re in an “uncontrollable” life-storm? Do you tend to cling to the sides of your little dollar store raft OR do you raise your hands in the midst of the fury and cry out to the ONLY God who can provide calmness and peace?

      I know I’ve learned something through each storm in my life and as a result my faith is increased and my relationship with Christ deepened. Though the waves may crash around me I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will never have to face their fury alone. Christ is using His word and the prayer covering of my spiritual family to encourage me to hang on and trust even if I can’t see calm waters ahead.

      Whether you’re facing a “storm” right now or your life waters are calm, know that you are never alone. When storms rage, God will NEVER leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5).

      Call out to Jesus and HE WILL keep you from falling.

      “Storm calming” stories Matthew 14:22 – 32, Matthew 8: 24 – 26

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      Posted in life storms | 0 Comments
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