Unstoppable Unity

I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” Deuteronomy 30:19

I recently read this quote: “Life cannot give me joy and peace; it is up to me to will it. Life just gives me time and space; it is up to me to fill it” (Author Unknown). What a powerful reminder. There is a story about two women who once lived in a convalescent home. Each one had suffered an incapacitating stroke. Margaret’s stroke had caused paralysis on her left side. Mary’s stroke had caused permanent damage to her right side. Both women were devastated by what has happened to them, since they assumed they would never be able to pursue a pastime they had genuinely enjoyed throughout life, playing the piano.

Then, one day, Margaret and Mary met and began talking about their lives. When they realized they both had an interest in music, an idea emerged. When approached with the idea, the convalescent center’s director brought them a piano and help each woman sit on an elongated bench in from of it. Margaret played the right-hand notes while Mary played the left-hand. Not only did the make beautiful music together, but they formed a long and endearing friendship.

God design for us is that we work together, liver together, and have fun together. When we choose to share our time, our talents, our treasures and space with others, we will reap the rewards of joy and peace. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Unstoppable Love

·         For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38-39

At my ordination service (a time when fellow Pastors gather to examine you and determine whether you seem to be called to pastoral ministry) one of the best questions I was asked was this one: “Do you have a Pastor’s heart?” My answer to the question was honest.  I said, “I hope so.”  A Pastor’s heart is to be that of a Shepherd who cares for the sheep and is willing to sacrifice himself to care for and protect those sheep. There is perhaps a no better picture of Jesus’ heart than this text in Romans 8:38-39. There is no possible way to overstate the vastness of God’s love for us. What we see in this passage is a picture Jesus’ love for all of us. We don’t have words to describe it, minds capable of grasping it, or any experience comparable to it. God’s love cannot be out-hated, out-sinned, or out-evil. The love of God is so utterly unstoppable that after death, hell, and Satan himself through the worst they had at it, Love rose victorious on the other side. You cannot escape it, ignore it, or thwart it. God does not love us abstractly, as a group. He loves you, personally, where you sit, in this very moment. He knew you and hand-selected you before the bones of the world were spoken into existence (Ephesians 1:4), he knit you together before you were born (Psalms 139), and he has engraved you on the palms of His hands (Isiah 49:16). What a place of confidence, peace, and power! This is our place in the world, we are beloved by God.

The answer to the question “What shall separate us from the love of Christ?” is NOTHING.  Nothing can separate us. Nothing can pray us from His love.  NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING! That is the heart of a Shepherd, the heart of Jesus. Our failures and sin may rob us of joy. My rebellion may make me miserable because I know I am running from the Almighty, but please understand, these sins and failures will never deter His love for us or derail His commitment to bringing us to eternal life. There is nothing you can do, as a child of God to make God love you more than He does now.  There is also nothing you can do that will make Him love you any less than He does now.  God’s love for His children is constant, consistent, and enduring.  When we are His child, we are as secure as we can possibly be. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

           

Unstoppable Church

In the book of Acts, the gospel spread like wildfire throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the Roman Empire. There were no Internet, TV or radio stations, no Facebook, or Instagram. There were just ordinary people, earnest prayer, and the boldness to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The unstoppable church of the first century found the gospel robust as they told it to others every day. There was no power on earth that would stop them from sharing the good news that Jesus died for their sins, was buried, and God raised Him from the dead. These first-century Christians were put in prison, beaten, exiled, and martyred because they refused to stop telling others about Jesus.

The same fire has spread the gospel from Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2 until today. It is ordinary people filled with the extraordinary power of God’s Spirit who obey Jesus’ command to GO and make disciples. Thousands of believers, just like their first-century counterparts, are put in prison, beaten, exiled, and martyred because they are not ashamed of the gospel because they know it is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). God has called His church to be an unstoppable force. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission. Jesus has entrusted us with a very brief period in which to do what He is asking us to do. If God has rescued and redeemed us out of our brokenness, He expects us to share His message of love, hope, and redemption with a broken world. It is our time, let make every minute of our existence count for all of eternity. Let us be the unstoppable church. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas.