OUT OF MY MIND

Tapped Into God

Pastor Josh Graber
May 5, 2024

While I was on vacation this past week, we visited a church and the pastor spoke on 1 Peter 4:10-11.

[10] As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: [11] whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The pastor mentioned as an illustration that Christians are like a faucet. We need to be tapped into God and then have our faucet open and let God’s grace flow through us so that we can impact the people around us. Notice what verse 10 says, “as each has received a gift”. Every believer has received spiritual gifts, and we need to use those gifts to impact the kingdom. Don’t be a faucet that’s closed and not giving out your gifts. Serve God and his kingdom and bless those around you with your gifts!

Forgetting

Pastor Jon Mann
April 14, 2024

With the Spring weather we’ve been having, maybe you are like me and starting to get excited for all that you will be able to do as soon as the snow melts! My kids can’t wait for the snow in our backyard to disappear so I can set up the trampoline, and I’m excited to get out my mountain bike and go for a ride. We’re also very close to solidifying our family vacation getaway for the end of the summer, which we have been planning for several months now. Especially when it comes to summer, I think it is easy to anticipate the future and be excited about what is yet to happen.

What about looking back? Maybe you are also like me, and you spend very little time reflecting on what happened in the past. There’s many things I’d rather not reflect on from the past, negative things that would do more harm than good to spend too much time dwelling on. But what about the good things? In recent months, I’ve been reminded by others about really important events that happened that I was a part of yet had forgotten all about! Each time this happened, I was glad that the other person reminded me, and also surprised and a bit saddened that I had not been mindful to remember them.

In part, I think it is human nature to forget to look back and remember significant and important things. It’s one thing to forget my best friend’s second child’s birthday (sorry man…), which is important but not really a big deal; what is a big deal, I think, is that we intentionally remember what God has done in our lives. Significant moments where He changed our hearts and our faith strengthened as a result. Or times when we saw Him intervene in our circumstances and show His power, perhaps even miraculously. Why should we remember these times? Here’s why: when we forget these important moments, we are prone to forget who God is and who we are as His children. I think this is why in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 God commands the Israelites to repeat the Shema (the central affirmation of their faith) to themselves and their children every day, to discuss it at mealtimes, to write it on the doorposts of their house and city gates. When the Israelites forgot about God and all He had done for them, when they lost sight of who they were as His people – we learn in the Bible that forgetting led to their spiritual downfall.

What are some of the important things God has done in your life, where He revealed Himself to you and changed your heart? I encourage you to take some time to reflect and remember His goodness to you. Look back and be blessed!

And if given the opportunity, I encourage you to share these things with someone else as a testimony to them of God’s goodness – who knows, maybe that will become an important event in their life where God reveals Himself to them and changes them.

Being Thankful

Pastor Kevin Furtney
April 7, 2024

The more it snows, the more I’m having trouble being thankful for it. My snowblower decided right before the last three snowfalls to stop working. It’s fixable, but I can’t clear my driveway. I am thankful for faithful servants of Jesus who enjoy serving and voluntarily clear my driveway for me. That’s a huge blessing! But at the moment of this blog, we’re stuck at the bottom of our driveway, barely able to pull off the road because of all the snow!

Living in the North we like to complain about the snow and the cold. “It’s too cold!”, “There’s too much snow!”. When it’s springtime, we complain that there’s too many bugs. When it’s summer, it’s too hot, and when it’s fall, it’s too short. It’s easy to have a heart attitude of complaint.

When we complain, it’s as though we’ve lost the attitude of gratitude. We’ve lost the ability or willingness to be thankful, even for the small things. God’s Word reminds us “in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you.” 1 Thess.5:17

So, how can we be thankful, when small things like tons of snow fall around us and we’re stuck in our driveways? How can we be thankful when big things like sickness or death or relationship issues arise? I think it starts by recognizing that God is in control.

In seminary, my friend Dwayne and I would speculate and debate on our hour-long drive to school. One such topic was whether there was snow before the fall, or whether snow was a consequence of the fall? In Job 38:22 it tells us that God has “storehouses of snow and hail which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of war and battle.” Its clear God is in control of the snow. One of the things we discussed at our community group about this latest snowfall was that it would help with our dry summers and forest fires. God always gives us exactly what we need, whether we think we need it or not. This is true of snow; it is true of everything else!

Jesus reminds us in his sermon on the mount that “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and good and sends rain (and snow) on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Being thankful starts with recognizing God is in control and he knows what He’s doing. He continues with being thankful for what God gives us and it ends with asking God to change our hearts to be thankful in all things.

Let’s be thankful, even for snowstorms…and for the fact that spring is around the corner!

The Cross Was Filled Before The Tomb Was Empty

Pastor Doug Arnold
March 31, 2024

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Matt. 27:45,46,50,51.

The cross was filled before the tomb was empty.

The brutality of the last 24hrs of Jesus’s life here on earth is unfathomable. The physical pain and suffering He endured at the hands of the sadistic Romans defies our 21st century minds.

Even with all the inhumane treatment that Christ had to endure, the spiritual anguish He went through was next-level suffering. For three hours, as Jesus is dying, the sky turned dark. It occurred just before He died. In His own words He asks, Father, why have you forsaken me? This abandonment goes far beyond the physical, it is a true spiritual separation.

Go back and read John 1. In the beginning, the Word (Jesus), was with God and was God. For all eternity, Jesus had been in constant communion with the Father, until those three hours on the cross, when He took on your sins. For Christ to take on our sins He had to be separated from His Father. That may be why the sky went black for three hours. The Father turned His back on His Son because God is holy. During this time, the very physical barrier into the holiest of holies where the priest offered was torn, from top to bottom.

As we celebrate the empty tomb, let us pause and remember the physical and spiritual suffering Christ endured so that we can enter into His presence.

How Are You Doing?

Pastor Kevin Furtney
February 25, 2024

How are you doing in your walk with the Lord? I mean, how are you really doing? I don’t want the answer that you think I want to hear. I don’t want the answer that makes you look good. I want real! Is your relationship with God healthy or unhealthy? Is it vibrant, barely visible or non-existent?

Spiritual vitality is a huge part of our lives, and the effort and consistency we put into it does determine how healthy and vibrant our walk with God is. Because our walk with God is a relationship, time and effort do matter much like they matter in our marriages, our families and in our friendships. If you never talk with or spend time with your spouse, it’s likely the relationship will deteriorate rapidly! The same can be said of your relationship with God.

Here’s a couple of evaluation questions to ask. Do you spend more time and energy on social media than you do with God?

Would you rather be entertained by your device than spend a few moments praying or reading the Word?

Do you pick up your phone or the bible when you first wake up?

The answer to these questions will help determine what your priorities are and what’s most important in your life. We generally devote our time, energy, talents and treasures into the things we value. If we value God and not just say we do, then we will invest time with him. We will make an effort to change our schedules and make it happen.

I understand life is busy. I have six children, I know! But I also understand the joy of priorities. Here’s the thing we need to keep in mind. When we put God where he belongs (first place) the rest of life falls into place where it’s supposed to. When God is first instead of our spouse, it makes your marriage better!

When God is first instead of your kids, it makes you a better parent and a better example for them. When God is first instead of sports, shopping, entertainment, job, sex, money or whatever else, it makes for a better life!

While going to church, reading the Word, giving financially and prayer aren’t everything, they demonstrate in a practical way that God is first in your life before everything else. And when God is first, everything else is second, right where it belongs.

If you want your relationship with God to be healthy, order your life the way it’s meant to be ordered!

J=Jesus
O=others
Y=You
That will bring you JOY!

Shocking Things Jesus Said

Pastor Isaac Shelley
February 11, 2024

I was recently talking with a friend at the gym, and we somehow got on the subject of the Bible and how wild some of the stories and literature are in the Bible. Stories of floods, war, miracles, crazy dreams and apocalyptic literature with descriptions of unimaginable beasts. In the discussion I couldn’t help but point out that besides all that, Jesus himself said some pretty wild things!

For example, in Matthew 18:6 Jesus says, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” And in Matthew 5:28 he says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”

Or how about in Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”…. Did Jesus really say that?

As someone who has grown up in the church, I find that some of these quotes and stories have lost their luster and potential shock value at what exactly is being said by Jesus.

That if I was a brand-new reader of the Bible, how would I read these passages and process what Jesus was saying. Is it actually better for me to drown myself in the sea than to cause someone to sin? Should I really poke out my eye? Am I to hate or give up my family to be a true follower of Jesus? I thought it was a sin to hate at all!

The thing with these quotes is that even in the context ofwhich they were spoken, they were shockingly imaginative. The verses I picked above are just a few of the wild and descriptive words that Jesus used during his time with his disciples. With this new sermon series, I look forward to diving into some of these obscure and challenging words Jesus said and hope to read them with a fresh perspective so that I may be challenged in a new way.

One of the Greatest Things We’ll Ever Do

Pastor Josh Graber
February 4, 2024

For Christmas, I was given a book written by Adam Shoalts, about ten maps that helped make Canada. He takes his readers through the history of the people exploring the Canadian wilderness, from the St. Lawrence river to the Pacific ocean and eventually the Arctic.

While this book was very interesting overall, I was drawn to one person in particular. His name is Alexander Mackenzie. Many of you might recognize that Canada’s longest river is named after him, or that he was the first known person to have crossed the North American continent. What shocked me though was that he accomplished all of this by the age of 29!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I never accomplished anything great like that by the time I was 29! It’s easy to look back over your life and when comparing it to a great explorer, think that you haven’t done much in your lifetime. In Matthew 25, Jesus explains to His followers that it was the little things they did that helped them inherit His kingdom. Feeding the hungry, welcoming a stranger, visiting the sick to name a few.

Notice there is no great accomplishment in this list. It’s easy to forget, but being a servant in the Kingdom of God is one of the GREATEST things we will ever do.

Let’s remember that.

God Is Working Overtime

Pastor Aaron Bouchard
January 28, 2024

“Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.” Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest”

“A carnal Christian is the product of not sweeping the house of every little bit of yeast.”

A brother in Christ.

Over this past year or so I feel like God has been working overtime. He is doing an incredible amount over a very short period of time. God has been shaking the world and has been awakening believers around the world. The Lord is calling His sheep to draw near to Him. He is quickening believers and bringing many wayward sheep back into His pasture. We’ve certainly seen evidence of this at First Baptist Church.

I believe that God is preparing us for the return of Christ. I don’t know when it will happen, but it feels like it’s going to be soon. At the very least I think we can all agree that the world is going through one big birth pain. (Matt. 24:7-8) We’ve been going through these “birth pains” since Christ ascended to heaven, but it seems that they are getting closer together, and more severe.

Believers have two options in how they choose to respond. They can choose to ignore God’s quickening/awakening, or they can respond in surrender and faith. Jesus says that “at that time many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each another,” (Matt. 24:10) and He also said that “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold “(Matthew 24:12) This is one path we can choose to take.

Whether you believe we are nearing the end or not, I’d like to encourage you to choose the better path. The narrow path of Jesus. I have a Bible verse attached to my keys. It was a Christmas gift given to me by one of my dear sisters at First Baptist. It has written on it Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

So, if you feel Jesus calling then answer Him. You will not regret your decision.

Our Hope Is Secure in Christ

Pastor Jon Mann
January 21, 2024

The other day I read an article claiming that more than 50 countries will have national elections in 2024. Considering there are 195 countries total, that means that more than 25% of the nations on earth will experience political stress and change this year. In recent years, political stress and change have often not been a good thing – many previously peaceful countries have fallen into unrest, turmoil, revolt, and in some cases, democracy has completely unraveled to the point of violence and war. I can’t help but wonder: what will our world be like at the end of 2024?

I can’t speak for all nations on earth (nor do I want to!), but I can speak for myself as a follower of Jesus, and perhaps my thoughts will resonate with you. As a follower of Jesus, I am concerned that peace in general is disappearing from our world, but I am also not surprised. Jesus’ words in John 16:33 to his disciples (and by extension, they also apply to us as His followers) were very clear: “You will have suffering in this world.” Alright. So…how should we respond? The end of that verse tells us: “Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Here are my thoughts: as Christians, we should be concerned about all of the “wars and rumors of wars” that our world is experiencing; we should be advocating for justice for the oppressed and offering comfort and help to those who experience trauma and suffering; and in some practical ways, perhaps we should be preparing ourselves for the hardships we might experience in the coming years- but no matter what, we should NOT be freaking out!

As Christians, we belong to Jesus, and both our identity and our hope are kept secure for us in Christ – no war, traumatic event, or foolish world leader can ever take that away from us. Jesus’ promise that He has overcome the world is explained in detail throughout Scripture (watch our ‘Is This the End?’ series in Revelation on YouTube for more information), and so His command to us today is simply “Be courageous!”.

So – no matter what happens in 2024, I want to invite you to renew your hope and trust in our Savior and join me in being courageous. Not because we are strong on our own, but because we belong to Almighty God.

Watch What You Celebrate

Pastor Kevin Furtney
December 8, 2023

Why do we celebrate?  We celebrate good things don’t we?  Things like graduations and marriages and birthdays and anniversaries.  We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection when we gather Sunday mornings with God’s people.  There’s lots of good reasons to celebrate.

Why do we celebrate what we should not and can not as Christians?  I’ll often see on social media someone claiming to be a Christian now posting what the bible calls sinful behaviour.  For example, a Christian is dating a non-believer, or a woman gets pregnant out of wedlock, or someone posts about “coming out.”

As believers, why do we feel the necessity to post sinful behaviour all over our profiles?  Social Media is not our confessional!  We have access to the very throne room of God to confess our sins to Jesus, our high priest!  1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  There’s no need to go to anyone else, especially public.   You rarely see posts about lust and greed and lying.  Look at me, I’m lying again!  Please like and repost!  There’s no place for that, because we’re not proud of those sins.  Why all these other posts celebrating sinful activity?  Is it perhaps we don’t really view them as sinful behaviour, even though God’s Word spells it out crystal clear in Gal.5:19-21 and other sin lists?  Is it perhaps because the world views these sins as acceptable even though God detests them?  The thing that bothers me the most is all the likes and hearts from people I know are followers of Jesus.

We’re essentially celebrating sinful activity in people who claim to be brothers and sisters in Christ.  Is it because we don’t know what else to do?  Oh look, so and so has posted…I must select a like or a heart so they know I’ve read it…

Those likes and hearts are a way of saying, it’s ok that you’ve broken God’s law.  You be you and live out your truth.  What a bunch of nonsense!

In 1 Corinthians 5 a man was sleeping with his stepmother!  Gross!  The church essentially stood by and applauded with likes and heart emojis.  Isn’t that nice!  I mean love is love and all that!  You go girl!  Look at Paul’s response in vs.2.  “And you are arrogant!  Ought you not rather to mourn?  Let him who has done this be removed from among you.”

The church was arrogantly celebrating at worst or arrogantly and passively doing nothing at best, and Paul let them have it!

When we see brothers and sisters in Christ celebrating their sin, let’s not be those who click likes.  Instead, let’s be those who mourn and call out sinful behaviour like Gal.6:1 calls us to, instead of celebrating it or ignoring it and pretending it doesn’t exist.

We have a responsibility “if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  Keep a watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Let’s be careful what we celebrate and let’s also be willing to lovingly call out fellow believers caught in sin, to be restored back into fellowship with the God we both love!

Saved From Our Sin

Pastor Jon Mann
December 3, 2023

2 Corinthians 5:21 – “[God] made [Jesus] who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

I have given a lot of thought to this verse in the last few years. Growing up, I was taught that since God is holy – pure, set apart, blameless, sinless – He therefore cannot allow sin into His presence.

I remember a teacher had a prop made to look like a dead, rotting rat carcass, and he said this: “What do you do when you find this horrible, smelly rat carcass in your house? You retch and gag and throw it outside into the
woods, as far away from the house as possible!” This teacher’s point was that this is how God responds to sin, and how repulsive it is to Him. Now, theologically speaking, this teaching about God’s holiness is true when it comes to His justice, and at the end of all time the Great White Throne judgment will occur and all who have not trusted in Jesus for salvation from their sins will be judged for their sins and thrown into the lake of fire. Literally, all sin will be justly dealt with and cast from God’s holy presence, and after that judgment only those who have trusted in Jesus will remain in God’s presence because they bear the righteousness of Jesus.

Growing up, I understood these things, and unfortunately it had a somewhat negative impact on my view of God. I would feel terrible when I sinned because I imagined that God was disappointed in me and repulsed because of my sin, and I thought that I needed to really show by my actions that I was remorseful for my wrongdoing and then strive to do better.

Now, here is where my understanding has been stretched and amazed in the last few years: when a sinner turns to God and asks for forgiveness, they find God ready and waiting for them with open arms, ready to embrace them no matter how ‘stained’ or injured by sin they are – the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 clearly shows us this! Not only that, but as 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows, God went so far to save us from sin that He sent His holy son to “be sin for us” – can you believe that? Here’s my point: through embracing and becoming my sin on the cross so that I might receive His righteousness, Jesus shows me how deep and strong God’s love is for me. He is not disappointed, or angry, or repulsed; instead, He is full of love, and eagerly waiting for me to turn to Him so that He might embrace me and heal me (and you). How wonderful!

Considering Advent

Pastor Doug Arnold
November 26, 2023

I don’t know about you, but I often find the Christmas season that is now upon us is too full, too busy, too commercialized and it starts way too soon. Isn’t it sad that we can be turned off Christmas by store displays and jingles on the radio in October or November?

As I have pondered this and considered how packed my life is, I realized that I will need to intentionally prepare for celebrating the birth of Christ. This led me to consider Advent. I did not grow up observing Advent in any way. For many people today, Advent is just an excuse to eat a chocolate a day for 25 days. Advent though should have nothing to do with chocolate and everything to do with slowing our thoughts and actions down to reflect on the Messiah’s first AND second coming.

There is no description of any celebrations in the New Testament about yearly birthday parties for Christ other than around the time of His actual birth. Advent began first appearing as a celebration in around 700 AD, though it was never part of my childhood traditions.

Advent begins on the first Sunday between November 27 and December 3 and ends on Christmas Eve. It is a time to slow down, read and reflect through the prophecies regarding the first coming of Christ, His actual birth and the prophecies of His second coming.

There are devotionals that span all four weeks, or just the month of December. They can be found at Christian bookstores, Amazon, on most Bible apps, or websites like www.desiringgod.org or www.thegospelcoalition.org or just about any reputable Christian website. This year I intend to slow down, read, and reflect on the events leading up to the birth of Christ, His actual birth and when He will return. Will you join me?

Rejoice In The Lord

Pastor Doug Arnold
October 22, 2023

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Phil. 4:4

I remember as a little kid at Sunday School or at camp, singing a song based on this verse. We would often sing it in a round with either 2 or 3 groups singing it through. This week my mind drifted back to this verse and memory. What has your week been like? Have you felt like rejoicing? I know my week has been anything but joy filled. The week has been filled with challenging problems that have been out of my control. At the same time, the world seems to be spiraling into an abyss with wars and conflict. I sometimes catch myself discounting Paul’s instructions to be joyful and to rejoice always even though he emphasizes the command by repeating it. Paul’s life was much easier and simpler than ours, is where I go with that thought. Yet if we read Paul’s letters, we hear him recount what his life had been like, shipwrecked three times, beaten with rods, stoned, surviving assassination attempts. Yet in all these things, Paul was filled with joy. He entreats us to rejoice. Always. And to rejoice again.

We all face challenges and conflict happens, yet we can find our hope and joy in Christ. If we believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He was sinless, that He died, that He rose from the dead and paid the price from our sins, then nothing this world will ever throw at us will ultimately defeat us! Our eternal security has already been determined! When you believe you are at the end of your rope, follow Paul’s encouragement to us to Rejoice always, and again, and again, and again. May the joy of the Lord be known to you and encourage your heart and soul, today and every day.

Burdened

Pastor Jon Mann
October 1, 2023

The other day I woke up feeling a bit burdened. Several people I know are experiencing pain or struggle, our community is suffering from the opioid crisis and high cost of living, and some days life is just hard and messy. Where are you in all of this, God? Please show us you are near. I opened my Bible and discovered a bookmark I had forgotten about, in the book of Isaiah chapter 40.

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (v. 25-26)

God, you are so great! And you know of every single thing that happens throughout the entire universe.

But we are struggling, and you feel distant…

“Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (v. 27-28)

Please strengthen our faith, God! We need to you to get through this. Please set our minds at peace as we trust you…we may not ever understand why this is happening to us.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (v. 29-31)

Lord, what a promise! What did we ever do to deserve such love? Thank you that you are with us today!

Time

Pastor Doug Arnold
September 24, 2023

When we look at the book of Acts and read about the early days of the church, the believers were in constant contact with each other. They were devoted to the teaching of the apostles. They met in the temple courts daily. They shared meals together. When someone had a need, the group of believers met those needs. (Read Acts chapters 1-4).

Today we live in a very fragmented, rushed society. We are constantly bombarded with demands on our time. It is easy to feel busy but remain disconnected with our fellow Christ-followers. Sunday mornings may seem like all the time we can afford for “church” activities.

For many years, many of us have found “time” to connect with each other through our Community Groups. These groups have become the heart and soul of First Baptist. We are not exactly like the New Testament church in our groups, but we do strive to emulate them. The goal of the groups is to grow deeper in our faith, while forging meaningful relationships with each other. We all go through good times and difficult times in life. There are moments to rejoice and celebrate together, and there are moments to share the pain and hardships of life. Through our Community Groups, we walk together through these peaks and valleys as we share life together.

Let’s face it, most of us have no “free time”. Devoting time every week to a group may seem unreasonable. Meeting with people you do not know might scare you. Many longtime members of groups felt the same way at the beginning too. You will not be “forced” into anything at a group but will be given the space and time to become more comfortable before contributing to the discussion. And some people never do contribute, and that is OK!

So, what do you have to lose by giving it a try?

Struggles

Pastor Jon Mann
September 17, 2023

The last many months have been full of struggles for me and my family. Not all struggles are big, but when we’re dealing with a lot already, the small struggles feel worse than they are. As we have worked our way through these struggles, I have been more and more challenged by this question: “How much do I really trust God?” Maybe you’re confused already – there’s all kinds of struggles and trials that we face, isn’t it ignorant to think that faith somehow is the answer to all of them? That’s a fair question. No, I don’t believe it’s ignorant; I actually think it is a flaw (societal, cultural, sinful flaw) that leads us to compartmentalize our lives. We’re tempted to treat our family, work, marriage, friends, personal lives and church as though they are separate categories, and so how we deal with struggles can often be different in each setting depending on how we live according to the rules of that ‘category’. Many people prioritize Christian values in their ‘Family’ and ‘Church’ categories, but in their ‘Work’ and ‘Personal Lives’ they do not prioritize Christ at all. So, when struggles occur, they might be dealt with in a worldly, ungodly manner rather than through faith.

Maybe by now you’ve guessed where this is headed: according to God, if we have trusted in Jesus then we have received His new identity, and now every part of our lives belongs to Him. In God’s eyes, our lives have just one compartment, and it is labeled ‘Property of Jesus’. Our faith in Him has direct impact in every circumstance and every area of our lives! Listen to what Paul says in Colossians 3:1-3: “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Are you hurting? He is the “God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). Seeking revenge? He will avenge you (Rom. 12:9). Confused? The Holy Spirit will guide you into truth (John 16:13). No matter what your struggle is, the Bible has something to say about how our faith in God is meant to see us through that struggle. Whether or not we trust God in that area/circumstance will determine if we let Him guide us through or if we will seek to manage it on our own. As Christians, we forfeit freedom, strength and peace when we rely on ourselves instead of Jesus. So…How much do you really trust God?

A Dried-Up Christian Walk

Pastor Tony Linton
September 10, 2023

I love hanging around baby Christians and listening to the excitement as they describe their newfound faith in detail. Life takes on a whole new meaning, often they describe hearing the birds differently, or the sky is so much bluer, or the grass and trees are greener than they remember before they were saved. And so many questions that challenge even the most seasoned Christian theologian. Yet so much contagious excitement! Contrasting this is how sad I am to hear is how “older” Christians have become “spiritually dry” in their daily walk with Jesus. I can relate, knowing that I’ve also felt spiritually depleted from time to time over the past 50 years of my own walk as a Christ follower. Hence this short quest to discover what it is to reacquire and retain our “first love” when it comes to our faith in Jesus. gotquestions.org has some good guidance to share with respect to Spiritual Dryness and how some folks feel distant from God and feeling discouraged in their walk with Jesus. Some of the reasons the authors provided for spiritual dryness are summarized below.

1) Confession and Seeking God through His Word:
Psalm 51:12 indicates that sin left unconfessed can cause us to lose our joy. David pleads with God to “Restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation.” 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 32 tell us that God will forgive us if we confess our sins to him. 1 Kings 19 tells the story of how the prophet Elijah was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of wanting to die. Sometimes we are also experiencing physical, mental or emotional pain. God gave Elijah the rest he needed, and he will give you that rest you need too. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

2) Prayer: Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” And in Matthew 7:7 Jesus teaches us to Ask, Seek, & Knock and we will be Given, Find & the door will be Opened. And Luke 18:1 tells us to be persistent in our prayers.

3) Fellowship: Spending time with fellow believers is without a doubt one of the best ways to be encouraging and be encouraged in our faith. The book of Acts provided many examples of believers encouraging one another. Acts 2:46 -47 describes the early church gathering, eating together, praising God and adding to the numbers of those who were being saved. And a final thought… In John 4:14 Jesus tells us this. “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” How well this describes the “Baby Christian.”

Atrophy and Apathy

Pastor Kevin Furtney
September 3, 2023

How’s your health these days?  Not your physical health, but your spiritual health?

For many of us, it goes up and down like a roller coaster ride.  One day we feel closer to the Lord than the next.  One day we struggle with giving into sin, and the other we walk in victory.

When we’re not feeling close to the Lord that’s often described as apathy.  We feel God is far away, but He hasn’t moved, we have.

When it comes to the sporting world, this mantra is so true:  Effort leads to results.  If you don’t work out, you won’t see results.  When you don’t continually use your muscles, you lose your muscles!  It’s called atrophy.

When we don’t use our spiritual muscles, we experience spiritual atrophy and apathy.

I’ve observed in my personal life and in ministry that there’s two main things we stop doing that lead to atrophy and apathy.

We stop reading God’s Word and praying.  These two spiritual disciplines are essential to a living, active faith.  “The word of God is living and active” says the writer of Hebrews in 4:12.  Which means its alive.  We get to know the Lord and we draw near to him when we’re in his Word.  Not simply reading it, but praying it!  It’s called worship-based prayer.  Worship based prayer seeks God’s face before seeking his hand.  In other words, it starts with worship before asking God for things.

We also stop hanging out with God’s people.  When we allow church and community groups to become less a priority, we don’t allow the Spirit of God to work in our hearts that way he does in the community of God’s people.  We miss out on corporate worship, on singing, giving, prayer and on being under good solid biblical teaching.  Perhaps most damaging of all is that we miss out on accountability.  No one can ask how you’re doing if you push everyone away.

It’s easy to find yourself in a place of atrophy and apathy.  All you have to do is nothing!

But to receive a good health checkup as a believer and avoid apathy and apathy we need to regularly be in the Word and prayer and hang out with God’s people.

To that end, I hope we’ll see you Sunday as we worship the Lord together!

Eating Crow and Resting in Jesus

Pastor Tony Linton
August 27, 2023

I had the recent unpleasant experience of losing focus in an unfamiliar town and running a red light. I cut off another driver in the process. Thankfully there was no collision but the driver that I’d cut off was sufficiently disturbed that he followed me until I stopped. When he confronted me, he was clearly looking for an argument to which I choose to respond humbly, taking full responsibility and offering a simple apology. The man got a shocked look on his face, shrugged his shoulders, climbed back in his car and left.

I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and the lesson here was to remember to stay focused on the here and now instead of being distracted by something yet in the future.

This also reminds me of the verse in Proverbs 15:1 that says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

Another verse that apples is found in Proverbs 28:13, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”

What rewards us if we follow Jesus’ example of meekness? Jesus himself in Matthew 11:28 tells us to come to him and learn from him. As Austin French sings it,

“Come to me
All who are weary,
and heavy burdened,
All who are hurting.
Come to me,
I’ll be your shelter,
My yoke is easy,
My load is light.
And you can find rest for your soul,
Rest for your soul.”

God Is In Control

Pastor Kevin Furtney
August 20, 2023

I’ve been shocked recently by the photographs coming out of Lahaina Hawaii. The wildfires wiped out this town completely. At this moment, there are 110 confirmed deaths while over 1,000 people remain missing a week after fire ravaged the area. How do we reconcile tragedies like this, with the character of the God? It doesn’t make sense. How can a good and loving God allow these things to happen? This is the problem of evil. Anyone who has seriously contemplated life and faith will come face to face with this difficult conundrum. I don’t plan on solving it here, but I hope to point us in the right direction.

Wrapping our heads around this question begins with this reality, God is in control! “Yours O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the havens and in the earth is yours.” (1 Chr.29:11) God has allowed this to happen. That doesn’t mean God is the cause of evil, but he does at times allow evil to happen for reasons we may never understand. The problem of evil can cause us to do one of two things. We either deny God and run away from him, or we bring him our tough questions in our grief and anger. The Psalms call us to run to him. In Psalm 89:46 Ethan asks God “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?” That’s a poignant question! Even in his anger, Ethan is able to say at the end of it all “Blessed be the Lord forever.” He may not understand it, or get it or approve of it, but he knew this: Even when bad things happen, God is still good and still deserves praise.

The reality is that we live in a sinful, fallen world where even the earth cries out to be delivered from sin (Rom.8:19-22). The effects of sin on the earth lead to natural disasters. They tell us life is short! “All flesh is grass…the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God sill stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6 8 None of us is guaranteed tomorrow. It’s God’s grace that we have today and if he so chooses to grant us tomorrow. So, get right with God today! That’s why
Psalm 90:12 tells us to “teach us to number our days so we might gain a heart of wisdom.”

While we wonder what God is doing sometimes in tragedies like this, let’s allow them to draw us closer to him. Let’s point to his sovereign control of the world and not let Satan convince us God isn’t good. Let’s number our days and be wise and comfort those we know and love and even strangers when they go through devastating times. In the face of evil don’t forget, evil has a shelf life! It’s short! Jesus dealt it a death blow in his resurrection and one day there will be no more death, disease, or destruction. So, we say come Lord Jesus quickly!

Deep Impact

Pastor Isaac Shelley
August 13, 2023

August is the time of the year when we start to reap the rewards of our labours in the vegetable garden. When we first moved to Timmins, we had some elderly neighbours across the street who were master gardeners. All they had was a narrow strip of a garden bed beside their house and a few large planters and yet they were able to grow and harvest a massive amount of beans, peas and tomatoes. Through the window, we would watch them collect bowl after bowl of produce. We were always amazed at what they could produce in such a small space and joked about what they could accomplish with a proper and large garden plot. They knew how to tend the soil they had, and they were able to have an abundant and successful harvest year after year.

As followers of Jesus seeking to expand the Kingdom, we sometimes think that true ministry and missions can only be done within ‘the large garden plot’ and we can forget that we can have a deep impact within a small area of focus. We sometimes keep our eyes on big ideas and fancy programs and forget to tend the soil we’re standing on. An ordinary life in God’s hands can be fruitful and have long lasting impacts.

Luke 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much.”

Arrive Early, Stay Late

Pastor Doug Arnold
August 6, 2023

As a kid, were you ever late for school or late for your bus? In the work world, when was the last time you showed up for work late? Now I know for some, being late is just the way they roll. I for one, would rather be 5 minutes early than 2 minutes late. When it comes to church though, what time do you arrive? I have noticed a trend in recent months that we are arriving later and later to church. I can understand to an extent that Sunday might just be the only day in the week when you can sleep in. I am no different.

When it comes to Sundays though, I wonder whether our scheduled week is a legitimate reason for arriving at church late. Years ago, an interim pastor we had at FBC was very insistent that church started 15 minutes before the service, and you were leaving early if you left less than 15 minutes after the service was over. You see, church is more than just “showing up”. It is also about connecting and sharing each others’ burdens. It is about engaging with one other and offering support and encouragement. Our interactions at first might be very superficial, even awkward, but over time, they should become deeper and more about “heart” matters. This is almost impossible to do if we arrive at 10:29 and are out the door within 2 minutes of the final Amen.

I want to encourage those who have already adopted the arrive early and stay late practice to keep on doing it. If you are more of the “arrive late and leave early” group, please consider changing your practice and arrive a little earlier and stay a little later to engage with others. It will make a world of difference to your spiritual growth, and to the growth of others

Joy In Pain

Pastor Tony Linton
June 11, 2023

“Even pain has some good in it because it lets you know you are still alive.”

This was something my grandfather once told me. I was still young at the time and had no appreciation for the statement at the time, but now days, I understand. As we age our lives are precious, not so much for ourselves but for the quality that we can pour into the lives of those around us. Pain, suffering, trials, affliction, hurt, discomfort… call it what you will but it is part of what it means to be alive and constantly reminds us that we are on the topside of the sod. In Romans 5: 3-5 we also glean some good advice with respect to our spiritual attitude and wellbeing…

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” – NLT

Like the old hymn says, “When all of life is over and our work on earth is done” we can and do look forward to a time when there will be no more pain, no more tears. In the meantime, we can have Joy in Pain.

Incremental Growth

Pastor Kevin Furtney
June 4, 2023

All of us grow! We grow up and then we grow out. Healthy things grow! Growth is a sign that there’s life and vitality.

As a child perhaps you marked the door frame to measure how tall you were getting. My kids now compare themselves to Elizabeth and I to see if they are taller than mom, and if they’re anywhere close to being taller than dad. (No one is there yet!)

As followers of Jesus we should be growing as well! One of the measurements of spiritual health is growth! Are we growing closer to Jesus? Are we becoming more like Christ? This is the shape God is striving to make us into, the shape of his son Jesus!

The problem with spiritual growth is that it doesn’t come naturally! Just like growing physically, we need to eat healthy and take care of our bodies. To grow spiritually we need to eat right and take care of our souls, and deal with the things that get us off course!

Often there’s little foxes that come along and prevent us from growing. Song of Songs 2:15 encourages us to “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” The context is of a marriage relationship and how little things can destroy a marriage. But the principle also rings true in our spiritual lives.

There are so many little foxes that distract us from the main thing being the main thing.

Is it time to go fox hunting in your spiritual life? Is it time to go fox hunting in your marriage?

It’s easy to let things creep in get us off course of growing to be like Jesus. This week take some time to catch the little foxes and instead of them running ragged all over your life, take them out and re-order the priorities in your life and enable the disciplines in your life so you can grow up and grow out in being more like Jesus!

COMFORTING

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
April 30, 2023

We all need comforting from time to time. Sometimes, you just need a hug! It’s one of the ways God has wired us, and why we need community.

The best place to seek community is a local, God-fearing, Bible-believing church family. It’s not a perfect community, but it should be one we can seek and find comfort. The church should look after and comfort one another. Quite literally we are to become the hands and feet of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 1 Paul reminds the church about who God is and about who we should be as God’s people.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor.1:3-4

God is a God of comfort. He doesn’t leave us by ourselves to figure life out. He is a personal God who cares for his children to the minutest details. When we are hurting, God himself feels and knows our hurt, and wants to bring us comfort. This is part of the reason God came in flesh. So that he might know be able to sympathize with us in our weakness. (Heb.4:15)

The reason God comforts us isn’t simply for our comfort! We’re comforted so that we may be able to comfort each other. When you’re going through tough times, it’s so encouraging to have fellow believers reach out and tell you they’re praying or give you a hug or bring you a meal. This is how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need comforting. We are acting as God’s arms when we wrap them around someone in need.

We can be thankful for the tough times in life that we go through when God comforts us, knowing that one day, maybe very soon, we’ll be able to put into practice what we learned and comfort someone else in their time of need. So, give someone a hug today in the name of Jesus. It just may be the comfort they need!

CHRIST HAS RISEN! HE HAS RISEN INDEED!

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
April 9, 2023

Luke’s account of the day of the resurrection, found in Luke 24, includes the remarkable story of two men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. That morning these men were dumbfounded at the astonishing news from the women that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb but that He had risen and that angels had told the women this! As the men walked to Emmaus, trying to make sense of what had happened, they were joined by a stranger. Well, at least to them He appeared as a “stranger”, but their eyes were blind to recognizing this man was Christ. As they explained to this “stranger” the events that had happened, the “stranger” proceeded to explain to them why these events had to happen. Beginning with Moses, the “stranger” explained how Jesus had to die and be raised again.

Coming to their destination, Emmaus, they convinced their travelling “stranger” to stay with them because it was late in the day. During the meal that evening the “stranger” broke bread and gave it to them and immediately they were no longer blind to this “stranger” being none other than Jesus Himself.

As soon as they recognized Jesus, He vanished. What would that have been like for them? Can you imagine what it would have been like to have been so surprised that Jesus had risen, to then talk with Him for a long period of time but not recognize who He was? Then as soon as you recognized Him, He was gone. The two men wasted no time, they got up and returned to Jerusalem to find the disciples and share the good news, “The Lord has risen indeed!”

REVENGE

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
March 26, 2023

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” is a saying most are familiar with. Essentially, bide your time before getting back at whoever wronged you. But make sure you get back at them at all costs. It often leaves people off bad and bitter. God’s kingdom offers a better way.

Instead of seeking revenge, God calls us to forgive. One of the things I’ve been learning lately is found in Luke 6:27-28. In these verses Jesus calls us to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” The KJV renders the last part of vs. 28 as “pray for those who spitefully use you.”

How do you love your enemies? It’s not a feeling, but an action. Jesus defines that love as “doing good” to our enemies. So next time someone treats you like an enemy, don’t get back, instead get good, and do something nice for them. Our enemies hate us. They will be expecting hate back. Instead love them and point them to the God of love!

We’re also called to bless those who curse you. What’s your first reaction to someone cursing you? Be honest! It’s to curse back! Instead, why not shock them with “God bless you!” It may even shut them up because they have no idea how to respond to that.

Finally, we’re called to pray for those who “spitefully use” you. When others use you for their own advancement, tell lies about you, slander you or make wrong assumptions about you, they are acting you’re your enemy. Instead of cursing them, figuring out ways to get back at them, or even trying to defend yourself, it starts by praying for them. Perhaps they have been deceived and need to know the truth. Perhaps you can pray that God brings justice on them or shuts them up. Whatever it is our best defense is a good offense and that means taking it to God!

Don’t forget “Vengeance is mine says the Lord.” Rom.12:19. Trust that God will deal with it in his way and his timing. That’s either at the cross that satisfies the wrath of God against sin, or it’s on Judgement Day. Either way, God will deal with your enemy. So, leave the revenge really cold and leave it to God! He’s much better at Vengeance than you or I could ever be!

REVELATION SERIES

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
March 19, 2023

Like most people, I find the book of Revelation a challenge to read and one of those books in the Bible that I have openly ignored or avoided. I’ve never been into fantasy movies or books, and all the imagery and symbolism seem to belong in a fantasy world. We all have those parts of the Bible we tend to shy away from, whether we think about it or not. One of the benefits of going to church and being part of a church body is that you bring each other to those very passages (instead of just avoiding them) and help each other understand them. If you think you can study God’s Word and pray from home without being in Christian community, you are missing these opportunities to allow other believers to bring you to the passages that you tend to overlook.

The Revelation sermon series and the resources that have been recommended have helped me understand this difficult book more than I did before. After listening on Sunday mornings, I’ve continued to think about Revelation and have spent time reading it on my own and watching some of the Bible Project Videos Pastor Kevin has mentioned. I’ve been interested to learn about all the connections between Revelation and the other books of the Bible. When I read Revelation on my own, all I see are dragons, beasts, and confusing images but when I read Revelation with the help of other believers and other Christian resources, I see the gospel running through it and how it all connects to the bigger picture from creation in the garden of Eden to Christ.

HOW I VIEW TIME

PASTOR JON MANN
March 12, 2023

This week I’ve been thinking about how I view time. Before you get too concerned, I wasn’t thinking about quantum physics or theories of alternate realities – I was thinking about how every moment of time that I have is a gift from God. It’s incredible…of all the things we have control over, time is not one of them. I don’t mean that how we live our life is not something we can control; obviously we all make life choices every day in every area of our life. Here’s what I mean: the fact that we exist in time and space, and continually exist, is outside of our control. God is our Creator, He made all of life and put all of creation into motion, and He did it so perfectly that there is no possible way anything could exist without His power. Our earth is a perfect distance from the sun to sustain life; our atmosphere is the perfect blend of elements to allow vegetation to grow and support life, give us food and shelter; gravity – scientists understand what it is but not why or how it came to be – keeps the moon orbiting around the earth, and without the moon’s gravitational pull we would either have no seasons at all or we’d have very wild and unpredictable seasons; and on and on and on. Here’s my point: every second we are alive, every breath that we take, is another precious moment of time where our almighty and allpowerful God gives us life.

You know what’s really crazy though? God lets us decide how we are going to spend this precious time. Think about that…despite everything that God has to do to give us each moment of precious time, He doesn’t try to control how we use it, instead He lets us decide! I find that so crazy because time is something we cannot replace. We can replace things when they are stolen or broken, we can make new friends when we lose old ones – but we can never replace time. Once it is used, it is gone forever.

Psalm 90:12 speaks to this, and I am still mulling it over: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I invite you to join me in praying this verse this week.

FILL IN THE BLANK

PASTOR TONY LINTON
FEBRUARY 26, 2023

In Romans 13: 9–10 Paul tells us; “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”

Love your BLANK as yourself. It’s easy to say but it’s really, really hard to do.

Who can we fill in the BLANK with? Is it your wife or husband? Is it your girlfriend or boyfriend? A brother or sister? Mom? Dad? Son? Daughter? How about that great workmate that everyone loves to be around or that frustrating customer that you would just as soon not deal with? What about the rich woman that just passed you with the Cadillac Escalade or the poor guy on the street that’s just looking for his next meal?

Maybe the BLANK is also a neighbour?

We all have these BLANKs in our lives that Paul in Romans and Jesus Christ himself in Mark 12: 29-31 has told us “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

And let’s not forget the context:

1. The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.
2. Love your neighbour as yourself. “No other commandment is greater that these.” – Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Who can you show love to today?

WHEN DISCIPLINE IS NECESSARY

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
FEBRUARY 19, 2023

There are times in life when discipline is necessary. When a child continues to disobey or refuses to listen to safety instructions, discipline is necessary. When we choose to do our own thing as followers of Jesus, God sends discipline our way to encourage our repentance. Sometimes that comes through His Spirit, other times through His Word and at times that comes through His Church. When someone sins against someone else, or sin becomes public, it should be confronted quietly and in love. The goal is always repentance and restoration. If that person refuses to repent, a discipline process is initiated according to Matt.18.

Discipline isn’t pleasant for the one undergoing it or the one (parent/church leader) leading the process, but to be faithful to God’s Word, it is a must. There are four main reasons why church discipline is necessary.
• Divisive Behaviour– Scripture repeatedly warns against division in the church. Jesus hates it! Titus 3:10-11 calls us to warn divisive people up to two times, and then have nothing to do with them.
• Immoral behaviour—in 1 Corinthians 5 Paul calls those in persistent immoral behaviour to be put out of the church to protect the body.
• False teaching—God calls church leaders to protect the flock. When people persist in false teaching, it can cause gangrene in the flock and destroy faith. (2 Tim. 2:17-18)
• Persistent, unrepentant sin—When a believer sins against another and refuses to repent, a church discipline process should begin. (Matt.18)

The entire goal of church discipline isn’t to punish, but to restore. It isn’t to shame, but to celebrate victory over sin. It takes sin seriously enough to call it out in followers of Jesus so that fellowship can be restored.

Galatians 6:1-2 says this “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness…. bear with one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. “

Discipline is about love, repentance and restoration. It’s something any faithful and healthy church will lovingly pursue when necessary.

GIDEON

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
FEBRUARY 12, 2023

It is always interesting when you read a story in the Bible multiple times over the years and something new sticks out to you. This happened to me recently when teaching the story of Gideon (Judges 6 & 7) to the Grade 2 – 5 kids in Kid’s Church. In the lead up to Gideon leading the Israelites to break from under rule of the Midianites, he is approached by an Angel and told that he is the one who is to lead the Israelites. Gideon is unsure of this task and doesn’t believe in himself and even doubts if it is really an Angel of God speaking to him. He asked for signs from God to prove that it was indeed God instructing him and he asked to test God not once, not twice, but three times! Each time God proved himself to be, well, God, and yet Gideon still needed more reassurance of whether God was with him or not. Finally, after the third test, Gideon truly believes that God is with him and that He will lead them to victory from the Midianites. Except, in almost a comedic way, God begins his own test of Gideon. As Gideon gathers an army of 32,000 to fight against a Midianite army of over 100,000, God instructs Gideon to relieve any soldier who is afraid leaving him with only 10,000 men. And then, if Gideon wasn’t already starting to feel nervous again with his shrinking army, God instructs Gideon to send the 10,000 to drink from a lake and to only keep the men who drink from their hands. At the end of the day, Gideon is left with only 300 soldiers to fight with, and they go on to crush the entire Midianite army.

Reading through this story again, I couldn’t help but see how God flipped the script on Gideon. Gideon was struggling with his trust in God and continually needed reassurance that God was indeed guiding him. And when he was finally satisfied, God continued with these tests, except this time to test Gideon’s trust in Him. It is an interesting character arc to observe as Gideon’s confidence slowly builds up through the story. If the angel that initially appeared to Gideon told him that he would lead 300 against 100,000, surely Gideon would have simply scoffed and refused at such a command. But here we see God listen to Gideon’s doubts and fears and then work to assure Gideon that he is not facing the enemy alone and that He is in full control.

INSCRIBED

PASTOR JON MANN
FEBRUARY 6, 2023

“His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face.” This past week I was researching some of the popular phrases and Bible verses that people have inscribed on their tombstones, and I came across a picture of a tombstone with that phrase on it. It is actually a slight adaptation of Revelation 22, which is a description of what the New Earth will be like. Listen: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:3-5).

The more I think about that phrase, the more I appreciate that someone wrote it on their tombstone. Our church just completed a sermon series called ‘Here to Serve’ that focused on serving God: that we are called to serve, we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve, and we will be rewarded by God for serving Him. As I reflect on that series, I find this inscription to be both an uplifting reminder and challenge. Whoever this person was, they presumably devoted their life to serving Jesus, and now they are with Him, face to face! In a way, it’s like I hear them saying “I lived my life to serve my Savior, and I have no regrets, only reward! And you can do it too.” I’m sure if they were still alive, they would have a lot more to say about serving Jesus – they would acknowledge that life here on earth is hard, and temptation to sin, our self-centered natures that clamor for dominance, and spiritual oppression make serving Jesus a real challenge. But is it worth it? Absolutely! And not just for our sakes, actually it is mainly worth it because God is worthy of everything we have to offer Him.

What do you want inscribed on your tombstone?

FORGIVENESS

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
JANUARY 29, 2023

Forgiveness. What does that mean to you? The bible has many, many verses that speak about forgiveness. The foundation of our faith is that Christ died and rose from the dead to forgive us from our sins. We are taught and can read that we are to forgive others. How many times are we to forgive someone who repeatedly sins against me? Peter once asked Jesus this very question. Seven times? Peter asked. No, Jesus responded, seventy times seven. So what Jesus is saying is that on the four hundred and ninety first time, we no longer need to forgive that person. Right? Absolutely not! Jesus is exaggerating to show that we can never stop forgiving someone. But what about someone who really, really hurts you. And I mean badly. Maybe it was only one occurrence, but it was unfair and extremely hurtful. It came out of nowhere and you were deeply wounded by it. You said you have forgiven them, but have you?

I have had some of these deep hurts. This past week I have been wrestling with whether in these situations in my past, have I continued to hold grudges even though I say I have forgiven the person. I have come to the realization that in some of these situations I continue to hold a grudge; that when certain names are mentioned, I feel a degree of resentment towards them.

The reason I can forgive others, is that God has forgiven me. And I have sinned more than four hundred and ninety times. And I have sinned deeply. Does God hold a grudge against me? Of course not! So, if God does not hold grudges, how can I?

If you are working through this too, you are not alone. Rest in the assurance that God forgives us and does not count our sins against us.

LEAVING A LEGACY

PASTOR TONY LINTON
JANUARY 22, 2023

I’ve recently had the opportunity to read a book titled “So Help Me God” written by former US Vice President, Mike Pence. While some might differ in their political views, there is no doubt where Mr. Pence resides with respect to his faith.

One verse that he quotes as a guiding principle in his life is Jeremiah 28: 11-13, ““For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” – NLT

What an incredible promise that Jesus not only promises to the Israelites exiled in Babylon but also as my friend and mentor has profoundly illustrated also applies to us as Christians to encourage and strengthen our faith today. More than ever in today’s world, we need to cling to every promise…. As the song says.

Every promise in the book is mine,
Every chapter, every verse, every line,
All are blessings of His love divine,
Every promise in the book is mine.

JUDGING

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
JANUARY 15, 2023

Do not judge or you too will be judged. Outside of John 3:16, Matthew 7:1 is perhaps the most well-known verse in our culture and also perhaps the most misunderstood and misapplied.

Many people use this verse to get their critics to shut it. Don’t judge me! You can’t tell me I’m wrong, the bible says don’t judge.

It’s very clear that we are not to judge people’s motives or hearts. We can’t do that because we aren’t God. To assume someone’s motives is to judge their heart. As we’re reminded in 1 Samuel 16:7 “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.” But we are called to judge actions. In John 7:24 Jesus says, “stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

To judge incorrectly is to jump to conclusions, to judge based on appearances and to assume motives. To judge incorrectly is to call someone out on a sin that you yourself haven’t dealt with. (Matt.7:3-5) When we see the speck in our brother’s eye and won’t or can’t see the log in our own eye, we have judged incorrectly.

To judge correctly is to lovingly call out sin in the hope of repentance and restoration. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul instructs the church to judge those inside the church who are in sin, especially sexual sin. “For what have I to do with
judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”

As we consider judging one another, let’s have a heart that is willing to call sin out gently and lovingly as we speak the truth in love not to shame, but to lovingly restore. And as we receive judgment, let’s not wack people over the head with “thou shalt not judge” but respond with grace and love and thankfulness that someone loves us enough to call us out of our sin and into repentance.

A NEW YEAR

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
JANUARY 8, 2023

As the new year begins, it can be both exciting and challenging. We may have big plans and goals for the coming year, and we may be full of hope and determination as we set out on a new path, but we may also face new obstacles and challenges that we didn’t expect to face this year.

It’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t go as we had hoped, and it can be hard to stay motivated and focused when going through tough times. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This verse reminds us that we are not alone in facing the challenges that we may confront this year, but we can be comforted knowing that God will continue to give us strength to face any obstacle.

So as we begin this new year, let us remember to turn to God for help and guidance and let us ask him to give us the strength and perseverance we need to stay the course and to trust in Him.

NATIVITY SCENE

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
DECEMBER 11, 2022

This year we decided to put together a basic nativity set on our front lawn. It was a fun little project that the boys as I did as we constructed a life-size wooden manger and made some simple wooden triangle shaped trees. To complete the little woodland nativity scene, we added some litup deer and added some lights. It is a simple display and as we added some frozen hay and grass to the manger, we were reminded of the humble beginnings of Jesus and how crazy and yet beautiful it was that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a simple manger.

On this third Sunday of Advent, may we rejoice with the coming of God’s Kingdom here on Earth through a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

Psalm 96:11-12 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes.”

DON’T GET DISTRACTED FROM THE MAIN THING

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
DECEMBER 4, 2022

It’s easy to get distracted, isn’t it? Like many of you, I have regular “squirrel” moments in my life. I’m focussed on one thing and then bang, something else comes crashing into my vision and the thought train gets derailed.

The past two years have provided a few “squirrel” moments for the church at large. It’s easy to get distracted from the main mission when so many other seemingly important things are out there. We need to constantly be able to discern between is what is best and what is good and what isn’t worth our time. At times we think all three are equal in importance, but it’s just not true.

For the church, the gospel of Jesus Christ is of utmost importance. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. “I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand…for I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day…”

There’s lots of things the church can get distracted with that seem good but aren’t worth our time. There are other things that are good but distract from the main thing. Then there’s the main thing. We aren’t a church at war with our culture. We aren’t a church at war with the government. We aren’t a church at war with other churches and other Christians. We are a church at war with the evil one. We go onto the battlefield in the name of Jesus, taking with us the message of the cross. We preach Christ and him crucified! We
preach the Word in season and out of season. We preach so that some may hear the good news of Christ, turn and repent and follow him.

So, let’s ensure we don’t get distracted from the main thing. Let’s keep Jesus at the center of all we do, say and think, and we will be a church that Overcomes!

JESUS IS YOUR HIGH PRIEST

PASTOR JON MAN
NOVEMBER 27, 2022

Several years ago, I had a conversation with a student in our youth group who was Catholic. He was feeling convicted by the Holy Spirit and broken over his sin. The problem was, we lived in a very small town where “everyone knows everyone”, so he really did not want to go confess his sins to the local priest for fear that his sin would become town gossip. “And since I don’t have my driver’s license, I’m stuck waiting for my sister to give me a ride to the city so I can go to confession there! I won’t be able to go for over a month.” He felt awful and very defeated. As he shared and I listened, this passage came to mind:

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16

I read this passage to him, then told him this: if you have put your faith in Jesus, He is your high priest, and you can go to Him directly. Yes, it is good for us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that we may be healed (James 5:16), however we also need to go to Jesus because He will intercede for us and bring our request to God, and we will receive forgiveness and grace with no strings attached. In other words, we do not need to wait on any human to go to God! We have 24/7 direct access to God Himself.

Now, this passage focuses on Jesus interceding for us when we are being tempted, so you might be wondering “How does that help me once I have fallen to the temptation and actually sinned?” Good news, Jesus has already interceded for you. He did that, once for all, when He died on the cross and rose from the grave. If we have already put our faith in Him, we can know that He has already interceded for our sin, and when we ask for His forgiveness for it, we are repairing our broken fellowship with Him, not starting over from scratch in our relationship with Him. This is good news!

How long do you wait to go to Jesus and ask for His strength to resist temptation, or to ask for His forgiveness for sin and a right relationship with Him? How long should you wait?

EBENEZER

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
NOVEMBER 20, 2022

“Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help, I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.”

In case you read those words and thought it referred to a Charles Dickens character, you would be wrong. The words above are part of the beloved hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, written by Robert Robinson, around 1792. Many who have sung this hymn have absolutely no clue what an Ebenezer is.

An Ebenezer refers to a passage in 1 Sam. 7:12: Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us”

For over twenty years, the Israelites had not followed God. They had followed foreign idols, Baal and Astaroth. Finally, after twenty years, they repented and humbled themselves before the Lord. The Israelites gathered before Samuel to lead them in making sacrifices before Yahweh, Jehovah God. They removed the foreign idols.

Seeing an opportunity to rout the Israelites, the Philistine army gathered around, causing panic among the Israelites. But God heard their cries and saw their contrite hearts, and “thundered” a “mighty sound” that caused confusion among the Philistines and the Israelites defeated the Philistines. In response, Samuel set a stone of help, an Ebenezer that declared, “The Lord has helped us”.

This week we are celebrating 100 years of the Lord helping us at First Baptist Church in Timmins remain faithful in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world around us. We do not celebrate the accomplishments of men and women; we celebrate our faithful God! We celebrate the One who has led us, sustained us, blessed us, and used us to increase His Kingdom. With humble hearts, let God be praised!

DEALING WITH GRIEF AND GOD’S PROMISE FROM PSALM 23

PASTOR TONY LINTON
NOVEMBER 13, 2022

This past couple of weeks for the Linton clan has been low to say the least… three family members died in one week – two from dealing with cancer and one tragically in an industrial accident. And a fourth just passed away November 10, 2022. Like it or not, humans have a 100% mortality rate. This means we all die at some point, but this knowledge makes it no less easy to grapple with the loss of loved ones.

Suffice to say, there is plenty of counselling advice and self help stuff out there, but I have found much comfort as of late simply reading through portions of my bible as I have time discovering promises our Lord has given us in times of hardship. By far my most favourite is Psalm 23 knowing that he provides for my needs, lets me rest in him, renews my strength, and guides my life in the right direction. I won’t be afraid because he is close to me, comforting and protecting me.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
NOVEMBER 6, 2022

On Sunday November 6th it is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It is an important reminder for us as Christians and a Church family to take some time to specifically think and pray for believers across the world who do not have the same religious freedom as us. For us here in Canada we are really quite detached from the harsh realities of religious persecution, and we can easily forget that there can be a serious cost to following Christ. As members of the body of Christ, it is our duty as fellow believers to lift up those suffering from persecution and to pray for them not just one day a year but throughout the year.

1 Corinthians 12:26-28 “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually part of it.”

Read more about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church here: https://idop.ca/.

LACK OF PASSION

PASTOR KEVIN FURTNEY
OCTOBER 30, 2022

For a sports fan, this time of year is amazing! Baseball is in the throes of the World Series! The hockey season has just begun and with it the hopes of a nation leaning on their favourite team’s shoulders. Canada’s lone basketball team is at it for another season of six foot eight or bust!

Regardless of whom you cheer for, or if you cheer for anyone at all, your passion level may have waned lately. It’s hard to get excited about much of anything these days.

As the people of God, it’s easy to slip into apathy and have a lackadaisical attitude towards our spiritual health.

God’s Word has some strong words for those who lack passion for him and end up being lazy followers. In Revelation 3 Jesus calls out his apathetic church. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Rev.3:15-16

There’s no fooling Jesus. He knows us inside and out. He knows when we are full of zeal and living for him and he knows when we’re putting on a good show. For those putting on a show, the result is clear. You will be vomited out!

What’s the solution to a lack of passion? It’s not more sports games or whatever gets you excited. Jesus calls us to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)

The solution to a spiritual problem is spiritual. So, we pray! We ask God to help us stay focussed and alert. Let’s not be those who become vomit, but those who serve the Lord with the same kind of passion we cheer our favourite sports teams on and the same kind of passion we do our favourite activities. Go Team Jesus!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH ISN’T BASED ON HOW I FEEL

PASTOR JON MANN
OCTOBER 23, 2022

Random thought: My spiritual growth is not based on how I feel, but rather on the perfect work of the Holy Spirit in me because I have put my faith in Him. First of all, why would I even have that thought? Recently in Young Adults group, our discussions have sometimes turned to the topic of emotion and how it relates to our faith and spiritual growth. As we discussed, I realized that for many years I believed that my emotions determined where I was at, spiritually, with God. In other words, how I felt showed what was happening in my faith, whether I was growing spiritually or not. Every time I felt a negative emotion like loneliness, anger, sadness or apathy, I would think I had a spiritual problem and was not doing well in my relationship with God. Ironically, this led to even more negative emotions, like anxiety and discouragement, because I thought the solution was that I needed to just “do better” in my spiritual life; I would read my Bible more, pray more, and do all the “right things”, yet so often my feelings didn’t change so I felt like a failure. Talk about a cycle of defeat! But every so often that cycle of negative emotions would be replaced by positive emotions, and wow I loved that. When I felt positive things like joy, peace and love, I believed I was doing great in my relationship with God and was finally growing strong in my faith! But it never lasted, just give it a week and I was back to feeling emotionally blue and to beating myself up for not “doing better”.

Two or three years ago God began to teach me that my emotions have value, yes, but they do not determine what is happening in my spiritual growth. In fact, I’ve learned that God uses all of my emotions in His divine process of sanctifying me, and my faith’s growth process happens regardless of how I feel. So… what then do we need to hold on to in the messiness of everyday life, if not our emotions, to know if we are growing or not? We need to hold onto who God is and who we are because our faith is in Jesus! Listen to what Paul wrote the believers in Ephesus:

“I pray that out of [the Father’s] glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heats through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19).

Today I join Paul and pray this for you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
OCTOBER 16, 2022

Oops, did I forget something? No, I have not lost my mind. I do realize that this is the first Sunday after we in Canada, had a day “dedicated” to giving Thanks. I was reading something this week that made me ask myself, “Self, are you thankful?” Always? As in every day, do I give thanks? To God? If I were to say yes, yes, and yes, what would I have actually articulated in my prayers to God yesterday? Ok, so now we are getting a little too close for comfort. I know I gave thanks for my meals yesterday, breakfast, lunch, and supper. Now, did I really do that three times, or am I deluding myself yet again?

“give thanks in all circumstances…” 1 Thess. 5:18

This week, I have been reminded to be thankful for even the smallest of things. On Wednesday morning, we woke up to a leaking kitchen faucet. It took me about 45 minutes to minimize the impact on our house and basement. Now you can understand that I was not thankful in that circumstance! I am thankful now, though! What I am thankful for is the smallest of “conveniences”, running water in our kitchen sink. For the last two days, we (mainly my wife because I have hardly been home), has had to carry water from the bathroom to the sink for our basic washing needs. Am I thankful for this inconvenience? Not really.

I have come to understand that I need to be thankful for even the smallest of things I take for granted. There are so many tiny things in my life, everyday occurrences, like running water in the kitchen, that I need to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? Practice giving thanks in all circumstances, for everything, and I mean, every little thing!

SEATING SHAKE-UP

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
OCTOBER 2, 2022

In the 6 years that we have attended First Baptist Church we have more or less sat in the same section of chairs. But this past Sunday I walked into the auditorium and felt like we needed a shake-up in our Sunday morning routine and decided to sit in the complete opposite section of the auditorium. It was a change that brought a fresh feeling to the service as not only did the service look and sound slightly different, but it also inserted us into a different section of people. While it was the smallest change to our usual routine, it was a good reminder about not getting caught up in the simple routine of church and that we should always be looking for new ways to engage ourselves and our families on Sunday mornings so that we do not become complacent.

REPETITION

PASTOR JON MANN
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

There’s a saying that you have probably heard, or perhaps you’ve heard a variation of it: “Pay attention when something is repeated because it’s probably important.” I couldn’t help but think of that saying this morning while I was reading my Bible – there was a lot of repetition going on in Psalm 89! Specifically, the words ‘faithful’ and ‘faithfulness’ were repeated, over and over again. The psalmist praised God for His faithfulness, describing in several ways exactly what it is like (it is “established…in heaven itself”, verse 2) and how God displays it (“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” – verse 14). And then, the psalmist spends from verses 19 to 37 describing what the Messiah (promised Savior) would be like, and one of the main words used was – you guessed it – ‘faithful’. At first, I was surprised when the psalmist turned from praising God to describing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, but then I realized how fitting it was. The psalmist had not met the Messiah, in fact Jesus would not be born in Bethlehem for many hundreds of years yet, but today we know Him, and we can verify that God showed His faithfulness to us in a powerful way through His son Jesus!

Jesus fulfilled all of God’s promises to us, providing payment for our sins through His atoning death, burial and resurrection, and now offering new identities and eternal life to all who trust in Him. In other words, through Jesus God proved that He keeps His word: He always said that He loved us and would save us, and then He did just that. Powerful. Arguably, the psalmist could have ended psalm 89 right there and it would have been just fine, but the last portion of this psalm takes a dramatic and surprising turn – the psalmist shares his feelings, saying that it seems like God has abandoned and forgotten them. For example, in verse 46 he says: “How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?” Woah. He goes on for several more verses describing his pain and feelings of rejection, but then suddenly in verse 52 he ends the psalm with this statement: “Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and amen.” Wow, what a roller coaster of emotions.

So, what does all of this mean for us today? I have a couple of thoughts: first, how we feel does not determine what is true; God has been faithful, even if our experience would seem to say otherwise, and taking time to remember what He has done is helpful in times of struggle. And second, like the psalmist we can – and should! – take time to share our hearts with God; being honest with Him about how we feel is an important part of overcoming grief and pain. As we do this, maybe like the psalmist we will be able to release our hurt and end our prayer by saying “Praise be to you, God, forever! Amen and amen”

FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

Eph 2:8-9 ESV – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

These verses, among many found in the Bible, are the foundation of our faith. It is impossible to earn our way to eternal life; it is entirely a result of God’s gift of grace and our faith in who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us.

The God we serve has always been a God of grace as evident by the way He dispensed mercy time and time again. Ever wonder why God did not just kill off Adam and Eve after they sinned? Have you ever started out making something and early on it did not go together properly? Depending on the time, effort and expense expended, those projects get scrapped, and we start again. God did not “scrap” Adam and Eve but extended grace to them.

God could have wiped out mankind and started again when He flooded the earth during Noah’s time. This is what everyone on earth except Noah and his family deserved. Yet His grace prevented that annihilation of mankind.

God has always been true to His character, full of grace and mercy. We are God’s representatives here on earth. If God has poured out grace and mercy on us, then we must in turn pour out grace and mercy on those we encounter. Whether that is our family, our neighbours, our co-workers or some random person we come across, by extending grace we are demonstrating Christ to the world around us.

“The grace of God is infinite and eternal. As it has no beginning, so it can have no end.” – A. W. Tozer

WHAT ABOUT SUFFERING? HOW SHOULD WE “SUFFER”?

PASTOR TONY LINTON
SEPTEMBER 4, 2022

In the past few weeks, I’ve come to understand that suffering, pain, and heartache is just a part of life as we know it. Thankfully, where we live, we seldom ever suffer for our faith. So other than self-inflicted or neglect related health issues, there is no specific reason for suffering other than the original curse from God himself after Adam and Eve’s major misstep in the Garden of Eden. But we as Christians have our hope in Christ Jesus as our Saviour that none of the suffering in this present world is permanent and does not pass through to the next.

Therefore, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Rom. 5:3–5 NLT

We also, “know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love [him] and [who] are called according to his purpose for them.” Rom. 8:28 NLT

Furthermore, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Rom. 8:35-37 NLT

And in the end, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Rev. 21:4 NLT

Just imagine! When this life on earth is over, we get to stand before the throne of God himself and the Creator of the universe who cares so much for you and me will personally wipe away our tears!

AVOID GETTING COMPLACENT

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
AUGUST 28, 2022

I started a new job over a year and a half ago and was searching for a document that I knew I had received a month into my new position. It was interesting to see some of the emails from then and what stuck out to me was how many questions I had sent to my supporting advisor. It was also interesting to see the questions I had at the time as a lot of the information I was seeking then seems so simple to me now. It was a good reminder that I have greatly expanded my knowledge in my job and that I should continue to learn and avoid getting complacent with my current knowledge and understanding.

As a Christian, it is also an important reminder to be wary of becoming complacent in my faith and to continue to seek more knowledge, enhance my relationship with Jesus and build His kingdom. While doing daily devotions, prayer and Bible reading is an important way to expand one’s knowledge and relationship of God, I personally have found that when I serve others or volunteer for things both inside and outside the church (sometimes reluctantly), I find the threat of complacency in my Christian faith to be broken. To me, there is something about putting yourself out there as the hands and feet of Jesus that stretches you in your faith and breaks the mold of spiritual monotony and can eliminate the threat of complacency in your Christian walk.

LOVING THOSE CLOSEST TO US

PASTOR JON MANN
AUGUST 7, 2022

Have you ever noticed that often the people we have the hardest time loving are the ones we have the closest relationship with? It’s strange, but true…it tends to be the people we spend the most time with (our spouses, children, siblings, parents, and coworkers) that are the hardest for us to love. In a way it makes sense; because we know them so well, we are well aware of their shortcomings and sin, and maybe our lives have been negatively impacted by their struggles. It’s hard to fully love someone when we are faced with sin on a daily basis, and we need to forgive them repeatedly.

As I was thinking about this struggle to love, Titus 3:4-5a came to mind: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” There’s some beautiful truths in this passage: our God is a God of great kindness and love, and He showed the depth of His love for us by showing us mercy. He did this by dying for us even though we didn’t deserve His help – in fact, we fully deserved to pay our own penalty and die for our own sins. I think it’s safe to say that God’s kind of love is a very high standard! He didn’t wait for us to “make things right” for our wrongdoing against Him, nor did He set any expectations on us to love Him in a certain way before He would show us mercy…rather, “… while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

So then…. if God sets the standard for love, what does He expect from us? How does He want us to love others? Jesus gives us the answer in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” We are to love others in the same way that God has loved us. He showed us what it means to sacrificially show kindness and mercy that is not deserved, and He commands us to do the same. Maybe one or two people came to mind as you were reading this whom you are struggling to love. How patient are you with them? Remember they are human and struggle just like you do. How can you lovingly show them kindness and mercy today? They will never deserve your love, but that’s the point… you are loving them because God loves you even though you are undeserving.

WHY DO WE SING?

PASTOR JON MANN
JULY 31, 2022

Have you ever wondered why we sing songs together at church? If you are like me and have attended church for most of your life, then singing at church is probably very normal to you, and church without singing might seem strange. That being said, if you are new to attending church you might feel the opposite! Suddenly having everyone around you stand up and start singing a song together may have felt uncomfortable to you the first time you experienced it. Whatever your experience with singing in church is, and whether you ever ‘get used to it’ or not, yesterday I was reminded of why we sing together. I was reading Psalm 33 and read this: “Sing joyfully to the LORD, you are righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

Here’s my take on these verses: we sing at church because God is worthy of our worship! Singing isn’t the only way that we worship God, of course, but it is one of our most joy-filled and beautiful ways. This passage mentions just a few of God’s qualities that are worthy of our praise – His trustworthy words, His faithfulness, His unfailing love, and so on. As humans we might display some of these qualities at times in our lives, but only God in His holiness manifests them perfectly and completely. Only He is worthy to be praised! That being said, I think we forget this a lot. Our sinful nature is focused on worshipping ‘self’ and whatever makes self feel happy and good, not God. When we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus, we remove self from the throne of our life and put Jesus there – but our sinful nature still tempts us, and we all have times when we forget God’s worthiness and focus our worship on other things.

So, why do we sing at church?
1) Because God is worthy; and
2) we need the regular reminder that He alone is worthy.

CHOICES

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
JULY 24, 2022

Life is filled with choices. As you read this, you have already made many choices in your day. Even whether to hit the snooze on my alarm again this morning was a choice. The consequences of that choice may be no more than compressing your “prep” time until your first obligation of the day.

Some of the choices we face daily also have a profound impact on those around us. So much of who we are is learned behaviour, modelling what we observed in our parents. I have heard many times how I am like either my mom or dad. When I was young, I did not for a minute study my parents with the expressed purpose of being like them. Slowly over time, as I observed and heard their wise counsel (ummmm, not the words a 14yo self would ever use!), I began to emulate them, without even trying.

At the end of his life, Joshua gathers all the leaders of the Israel and in Joshua 24, he recounts the faithfulness of God from choosing Abraham, right up to their present time. Joshua offers a key choice to all of Israel. They must choose whether to follow the gods their forefathers followed back in Egypt or the gods of the people in their immediate region or to serve the Lord. As for Joshua, v. 15 reads at the end, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.

Joshua made what appears to be a straightforward decision. Today, we face similar challenges. Who are you serving? Are you serving the Lord or the gods of the world around you such as money, power, or sex? Just remember that the god you serve will show up in your daily, seemingly insignificant choices and will have a profound impact on those around you.

ESCAPING EGYPT

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
JULY 17, 2022

In our recent family devotions, we read through the story of the Israelites escaping Egypt and how God continued to provide for them in their escape and journey and how miracles of food and water would appear. This time through the story, the manna which fell from heaven caught my attention. How crazy it would be to have been to continuously be fed from heaven and to witness this miracle for years. Yet, over the years that the manna fell from the sky the Israelites started to complain about it and grew dissatisfied with this miracle as its shine wore off.

Thinking of the manna from heaven appearing everyday, it got me thinking about the small miracles and blessings in my life which I receive or benefit from everyday. And yet, there are moments where I find myself complaining or whining to God about not receiving more and simply not being grateful for what God has provided me. I am not experiencing food regularly falling from the sky, but I do have a healthy family, a home, money for food and a stable job. I realized that I need to identify and express gratitude more regularly for the blessings and little miracles in my life so as to not lose perspective on all that God has been providing and doing for me.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

WHAT IS HE LIKE

PASTOR JON MANN
JULY 3, 2022

When you think of God, what is He like? Loving? Sad? Kind? Angry? Gentle? Disappointed? Proud of you? Disinterested? There are many ways we might think of God, and it may vary depending on what we are going through – but often how we perceive God is not true of who He is. For example, for a long time I thought God was disappointed in me. I knew and believed that He was unconditionally loving, yet I lived as though I could never be “good enough” for Him. How we think of God can have a profound effect on our mental, emotional and spiritual lives, for good or for bad.

Let me share with you one of my favorite accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry; it gives us a unique and intimate perspective on how God loves us. In John 11, Jesus receives word that one of His dear friends named Lazarus was very ill, and by the time Jesus and His disciples made the trip and got to Lazarus he had already died. In fact, he had been dead for four days! Understandably, Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha were very upset, especially because they knew that Jesus could have healed Lazarus if he had arrived in time. Jesus then said this to Martha in verses 25 and 26: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” This is profound – Jesus is declaring to Martha without reservation that He is LIFE! and that He offers victory over death both in this life on earth and in the eternal life to come.

At this point, I would expect Jesus to confidently walk over with a smile on his face and raise Lazarus from the dead, building on the hope He has just given Mary and Martha and glorifying God in front of everyone. And that’s mostly what He does…but on his way to the tomb, something powerful happens. Verses 33-35 say this: “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.” Jesus wept? The God who is the “resurrection and the life”, deeply moved and weeping?

Here’s my thought: as much as God is our Creator and source of life, both present and eternal, and as much as He can do all things, even miracles… He also cries with us. He enters into our hurt and our struggles with us, taking care to meet us in our deepest needs. However, you think of God today, know that you can confidently trust in Him, the resurrection and the life, and know that He is present in your pain. If you’re struggling, I encourage you to ask Him to show you that He is with you and cares for you; sometimes we need help to see how He is working in our lives.

NEW STAGE OF LIFE AND MINISTRY

PASTOR JON MANN
JUNE 12, 2022

As a church family, we in a totally new stage of church life and ministry. COVID flipped everything upside down, and while everything is back up and running now, we are experiencing a new normal. We have always face challenges and struggles as followers of Jesus who are seeking to live in community with one another and pursue Christ together, and right now is no exception. Now we are in the process of emerging from COVID and continuing to work hard to effectively serve Jesus and reach beyond our walls here in downtown Timmins…and it’s not easy. Now our list of ‘struggles that might divide us’ is even longer…political views (how you did, or did not, vote in our province’s election), COVID convictions and comfort levels, cultural differences and personal preferences of corporate worship and expression, and on and on.

The early church also had its struggles, and I think we can learn a lot from them! In Ephesians 2:11-22, the Apostle Paul addresses the things that divided the church in Ephesus: race, religious heritage and background, circumcision, and more. Here’s some of what he had to say in this passage about dealing with these struggles:

-Verse 13 – We all have the same standing through the righteousness of Christ; there are no greater thans or less thans in God’s kingdom. All are saved equally from sin by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, we need to make sure that our view of righteousness before God is filtered solely through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, our new shared resurrected life in Him and our common purpose: knowing Christ and making Him known.

-Verses 14-18 – The cross of Christ brings peace! It is a spiritual byproduct of our shared unity in Jesus. No matter how near or far from Jesus we were, He came and preached peace to us through the cross and now we all have equal access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as Romans 12:18 says, let us “live peaceably with everyone” so far as it depends on us! This is important to Jesus, let it likewise be important to us. One practical way we can do this more and more is by praying first about our concerns, asking God how we should act upon them, and THEN taking action.

-Verses 19-22 – As we seek to continue to build Christ’s kingdom together, we need remember that our foundation is already laid: Jesus is the cornerstone, and the foundation is God’s Word that was given us through the prophets and apostles. When we join together on that shared foundation, instead of splintering off into divisions and factions when elections are called or pandemics rage or church buildings catch fire, we come together in unity…as the last verse says, we “are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.”

If I am being honest, pursuing peace and unity in Christ can be exhausting at times! But wow…I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In the last two years there has been plenty of struggle and conflict within the body of Christ, however time and time again I have seen brothers and sisters in Christ peacefully prioritizing the Gospel of Jesus and joining together to make Him known. The struggles have brought us closer together and made knowing Jesus more clearly our goal and prize. For that, I think the struggle is worth it.

STRENGTHENING OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES

PASTOR JON MANN
JUNE 5, 2022

Sometimes the things we need to do are the things we dislike the most. We all need to eat well, sleep well, exercise daily and so on. Personally, I do alright on the first two of those points, but exercise has always been a struggle for me. The thought of running in place on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike depresses me, and in general I struggle to exercise on my own. That being said, I’ve learned a couple of things about myself that help me push through the struggle and get the exercise I need. I’ve found that if I put myself in a place where I have to exercise, then I just do it. “My wife has the car and I don’t have change for the bus…looks like I’m riding my bike to work.” Also, I’ve learned that I love exercising with others, so if someone invites me to do something active with them my answer is always yes. I hardly notice the discomfort of being active when I’m enjoying that time with a friend!

When it comes to our spiritual lives, I think we all struggle at times with important things like prayer, reading and meditating on God’s Word, and serving God with our time and energy. These things are all important for our spiritual growth and maturity, and also are a part of submitting our lives to His authority. The good news is, there’s no science to doing these things…there are so many ways we can go about strengthening these spiritual disciplines in our lives!

Do you need to be alone? Perhaps get up an hour earlier than usual for quiet time before your family is up, or head to bed with your Bible an hour earlier than normal. Do you need fellowship with other believers? Join a Community Group or call a friend today and invite them over for coffee. Is God nudging you to give some of your time and energy to serve Him? Talk to one of our Pastors here at church and ask if there are any needs that your gifts and abilities can help meet. I encourage you to try something new this week; ask God to change your heart and transform you as you seek Him.

CHOICES

PASTOR DOUG ARNOLD
MAY 29, 2022

Each and every day, we all face choices. Many choices that we face are really about the mundane things of living, like what shirt am I going to wear or what will I eat today. Each day we make choices that could seem small and inconsequential but compounded over time can lead to poor life choices and a life that strays away from a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

At the end of the book of Joshua, after Jehovah God has led the Israelites into the Promised Land, there is a great gathering of all the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Through Joshua, the Lord speaks and reminds the people of all that He has done for them. He starts at Abraham and continues down to Moses and leading out of Egypt and finally into Canaan, the Promised Land. God recounts through Joshua, how He delivered into their hands, all the enemies and obstacles that they faced. Each and every time, it was God that won their battles.

On this day though, the people had a choice. Against the backdrop of everything that God had accomplished for them, they now had a choice, to live for God or to choose to live for the gods that surrounded them. “Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15.

We face a similar decision each and every day. Who are you going to choose to live for? What things are going to dictate how you spend your time and your resources? Will you choose like Joshua did to serve God today and every day or will the “gods” of the world around you pull you away from following Christ? Choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

DON’T PUT GOD IN A BOX

PASTOR TONY LINTON
MAY 22, 2022

What does that even mean? We put God in a box because it helps us understand where we fit in with our life and faith…. But when we do this, we completely miss Who God really is!

The text this past Sunday from Bob Fleming’s message really resonated this concept. In Ephesians 3, Paul says, “When I think of all this, (referring to how we can come boldly and confidently into God’s presence because of our faith in Jesus.) I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.”

Wow! Just Wow!

He also describes God’s abilities and resources as:

a) The Rich Variety of His Wisdom (v10)
b) Eternal Plan to use the Church (v10, 11)
c) Glorious Unlimited Resources (v16)
d) Empowering with Inner Strength (v16)
e) Mighty Power at Work Within Us (v20)
f) Accomplish Infinitely More Than We Might Ask or Think (v20)

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how WIDE, how LONG, how HIGH, and how DEEP his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” – Ephesians 3: 18,19 NLT.

So, don’t even try to put God in a box, not just because He just won’t fit but because you will miss out on everything, He has to give you!

MIRACLES

PASTOR ISAAC SHELLEY
MAY 15, 2022

Aside from going through our Children’s Bible one story at a time, our after-supper family devotions have taken on a new tradition. We have started to keep a small journal to track the mini miracles, blessings, or answers to prayer that we have experienced in our family. I can’t take any credit for this idea as it was Erica who brought it up the other night after one of our stories.

While it is still a new thing it has shown to be an interesting exercise of reflection for us as a family and individually. At first when Erica brought up the question, “what miracles, blessings or answers to prayer have you experienced lately?” I was stumped. It took me a few minutes to fully register the question and to look back at the things we have been praying for and the stories we have heard from friends and family members. While we were able to put together a small list of answers to prayer that we have experienced, it proved to be a humbling exercise for myself and was a reminder to open my eyes more and better observe the spaces where God is and has been working.

We are in the early days of recording these experiences, but I encourage you to try this exercise either on your own or as a family.