Pastor David Keuss - Hope without Compromise

A s we have been studying through Hebrews in our church messages, a common theme emerges for our time (chapters 1-2):  look into what it might be that is replacing faithfulness to Jesus, and look instead to Christ Jesus for fulfillment.  For the Jewish Christians Hebrews was intended to go to, they were in a time when (Colossians 2) Jews and many Romans too were tempted to worship angels.  How they did this is not expressly stated.  But we do know that attention and devotion and probably more than likely, refuge and deliverance in, angels was a real problem in the outlook in many's hearts and minds, Hebrews 1.  The author of Hebrews (whether it was Paul or Barnabas, etc) has a goal, it is to help people put Jesus back into the center of their attention and focus.  Probably today you and I are not tempted to directly worship angels as they were.  Even in the years before the 1st century AD, many Jews in the intertestamental period were involved with thi...

T his is a good summary of the situations of many biblical women, some who were biological mothers and some who were not.  It addresses temporary and long-term infertility as well.  If nothing else, it provides a Bible study idea on some of these topics. http://www.infertilitysurvivalguide.com/issues/chapter13.htm

T his study shows an incidence of major depression is less likely over time in those who consistently attend church, in their advanced adult years.  http://www.reasons.org/articles/religion-and-mental-health-going-to-church-is-good-for-you I'm assuming from the study that the benefit from attending appears after several years, rather than in just a "pop," I'm going now effect, in adults.  Interesting stuff.  This also could be related to the social benefits of not isolating oneself, such as in the NACS study, plus the worship benefits from peace with God and others.

O ne of the most best things for Christ-followers is realizing a passage like I Corinthians chapter twelve records Paul teaching the ability of God's people to use their spiritual gifts to encourage others.  In our mutual faith in Jesus, practically, when we go to church we together are actually getting stronger.  If you bring that gift and I bring this other one, even the meeting up is a very gift of God to encourage, teach, show mercy, pray for, etc another!  This helps us to put aside the belief (a morally wrong one we all have at times in the Western tradition) that church attendance is optional. As a group of people, every local church congregation is gifted of God in different ways.  God in His goodness plans for these individual gifts coming together to make a stronger community.  Why is that?  It is for His glory, so it's not even about us at the end of the day, but we benefit ...

N ow is a great time to choose a Bible Reading plan for the year ahead.  There are some great choices that allow several options.  A source website like this one from the English Standard Version Bible translator company offers you ways to do this at your preference.  You can read chronologically through the Bible, or one Old Testament, one New Testament, and one Psalm reading set of verses per day.  It's really a good idea to think over how your schedule works too and include that factor into the decision.  As an encouragement, some plans offer one day off a week and if you are a doctor or nurse who has those one or two really long days, this could be very useful stuff one of them.  I pray that God blesses you as you choose a strategy to hear and read God's Word in 2013, you will definitely be investing wisely in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ.

I n 1st Samuel 23, around verses 19 to 22, King Saul of Israel, who earlier chapters tell us was rejected by God, and which 23:7 shows us was self-deceived about his relationship with God, thinks that he can use religious sounding language about the LORD God of Israel to bless someone. It is not entirely clear that Saul knows he has been rejected.  He may have assumed it in the future, but not at the present; 23:17.  Saul tries to go after and destroy an innocent man, and cloaks his evil heart desire in religious language, 23:21.  Maybe the Ziphites who were supposedly thinking they were "blessed" actually believed that Saul could offer that.  But Saul no longer served or listened to the LORD (doubtful he ever did), just used the right language of a religious person with a relationship. It is important to know if we have a saving and walking with the LORD relationship today.  Do you have this relationship?  1st John 1:9 says this about it:  "If we ...

D ue to the economic recession and continuing recessions around the world, the US economic situation is such that birth rates have dropped to historic lows.  See here .  Pew Research found birth rates have not been lower since the Great Depression:  As a result, certain church ministries may see long-term demographic shifts in numbers and / or volunteers.  The youngest demographic group ministries will see the first wave of that change over the next ten years.  Childrens ministry across the country will be impacted by the decrease.  The drop in numbers would be seen across the country in Youth Ministries 14 years out or so.  Likewise College Ministry after that would see smaller enrollments to go fishing in for Christ. In the short term, looking at another trend, the Baby Boomer generation is retiring at fast pace.  This will have another impact on the size of Senior Ministries.  These age-graded ministries (t...