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Gleanings From The Word

Category: Scripture Index

  • What Lies Ahead? God has a plan.

    Wooded trail disappearing around a bend - what lies ahead

    You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar, have an advanced degree, or have a genius-level IQ to see our world is in rough shape. Everywhere you turn, things are in turmoil. We sometimes ask ourselves, “What lies ahead?”

    It’s a fair question. Many of the problems seem insurmountable from a human perspective. What can we do about wars, crime, addictions, bad economies, corporate greed, governmental corruption, poverty, wholesale exploitation of ecosystems, and more?

    To be honest, not a lot. That doesn’t mean we don’t do our part, but big problems are a part of living in a sin-filled, fallen world. What lies ahead for this world is more problems.

    So, what keeps us from sliding into depression, despair, and utter hopelessness?

    As believers, we know the character of God, and we know that He is sovereign over everything. We know that justice will eventually prevail in the hands of God. Most importantly, God declares,

    “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

    God is speaking to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, promising their eventual restoration — so it’s a corporate promise to a people in a hard season of waiting, not a guarantee of individual comfort. That said, the theological principle it reveals about God’s character — purposeful, good, forward-looking — has deep resonance for believers in every generation.

    It doesn’t mean things will get magically better and all the problems will go away. It’s a promise from God for our future and hope.

    What lies ahead? Hard times, conflict, and more. Yet, we have hope because we know God has it under control and that better things are in store for us.

    When we see the world falling apart around us, hold fast to your faith, strive to live as Christ has commanded us, and rejoice in the promise of better things to come.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    What lies ahead – some thoughts on worry

    Tribulation and perseverance

  • Happy Anniversary Church – What is our future?

    A styled image of a church with the text Immanuel's 40th Anniversary - our lccal church is celebrating

    This weekend, our local assembly is celebrating its fortieth anniversary.  That’s both a huge milestone and a stepping stone for our little church. 

    Statistically, over 80% of new church plants last less than five years, so this one has done very well. Depending on which source you look at, churches that make it past the first 5 years last somewhere between 75 and 100+ years. There’s lots of time to go yet.

    Like most congregations, this one has ebbed and waned over the years. It’s presently undergoing significant change, with a much larger multicultural makeup reflecting our community as a whole. That’s a good thing.

    I’ve often spoken of the need for unity in the church, and an area that doesn’t often get touched on are cultural differences between what differing communities think of as “church.” I’m excited to see what we will look like at our 45th and 50thanniversaries,

    Will the music change? The service format? What about the ministries we are involved in? It’s likely. The question is by how much. Will we even recognize the church?

    Will you move as the Spirit leads, or will we fight change it tooth and nail because it isn’t the way we think church should be done?  Probably some combination of both.

    We can forget that it is never “our church”. The church in all its forms belongs to God. His pleasure is to use the church (both as the body of believers and the organizations therein) to fulfill His goal, of seeing all who will be saved come to Him, and as a training ground for believers to be shaped into His image.

    And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:18

    And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.  Ephesians 1:22-23

    He is preparing His bride (the church) to present to the Father and will shape her as He wills.

    That’s great news for us. We don’t have to fret about change. We are free to simply follow the Lord as He leads and walk by faith.

    I don’t know what the next 40 years hold for Immanuel: growth, decline, or even demise.  I do know I needed worry. I can celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do.

    That’s a good place to be.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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    Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12

    Looking for a good church?

    Some thoughts on finding a good church

    Find a good church

    Live in Abbotsford? There are many good churches. This is where I attend.