Assurance of Heaven

I have been a way for a while. First a week of vacation and then my Mom took a turn for the worse and on August 8 at 7:35 am she breathed her last breath of this stale old air and took her first breath in heaven. I treasure those last moments as Momma looked at me with life in her eyes for the first time in many years. Ten years locked in a prison of Alzheimers and now she is finally free. Praise God! I told her "go on to the house Momma, I'll be there later." I praise God who gives a living hope.

I thought and said to her a minute before she died: eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man or woman what God has prepared for those who love Him. Momma oh what you are about to see--Jesus!

I am so glad to pastor such a great Church as CHBC and I am thankful for the prayers and support during this whole time. The funeral gave glory to God and there were several who left the funeral new creatures in Christ. They came with no assurance of eternal life with Christ and left with assurance. For that I am thankful. Some in the midst of their own storms left with comfort, knowing that Christ was with them and would see them through. One sweet lady said " I am so encouraged. I am in a storm and seeing how God is sustaining you I know He will keep me!" And He will. He doesn't always deliver us from the storms but He will deliver us through the storms. Isaiah 43:1-3 (NIV) " But now, this is what the Lord says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. [2] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. [3] For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.."

If you do not have that hope my prayer is that you will. Call upon His name and you will be saved! Thanks be to God our Father for the assurance of heaven!

Heaven

Last week was a great week at CHBC. We had our VBS and I taught an adult class on Heaven. I have been reading Randy Alcorn’s book “HEAVEN” and found myself unable to put it down. It was great to search the Scripture and read that book on heaven and sense over and over a renewal of hope. That was the basis of my class in VBS. It was great. So many questions were asked about heaven and so many left unanswered but a whole lot of people in the Word searching them out. That’s what I’m talking about!

After I finished the third night I went home filled with excitement about heaven, so much so I was up til midnight still reading and studying. It was about that time I received a call from the nurse at the nursing home where my Mom is an alzheimer’s resident. She has been for ten years. Yes there is something worse than death. She was having seizures and they wanted her to go to the hospital. I took off over to the home and after talking to a nurse went in to see mom.

It has been hard over the years to see her physically here yet somewhere else mentally. This night it was particularly hard. I broke down and knelt beside her bed and prayed for her and for me. I decided to send her to the hospital to see what was going on. We arrived and she had had two seizures with the EMT’s and then she had one in front of me in the emergency room. It was bad.It felt like my heart was ripped out. We were in that room for 15 hours before they admitted her just to manage the seizures caused by the Alzheimers.

I realized as I sat there with momma that my study of heaven had not been just to teach at VBS or for any sermons down the road but it had been a gift of God to me for what He knew was coming that night. I knew my Mom and I had talked right after her diagnosis about Jesus Christ, her relationship to Him and heaven. I knew my Mom was a believer and follower of Christ and I knew that if she died that night that she would breathe her last breath here only to breathe her first breath there in the presence of Christ. God so comforted me through His Word and Presence and the assurance my Mom had given me in her confidence in Christ. I didn’t want to be there and see her in seizures and there were times that I wanted to runaway and times I wanted to question heaven, but God came holding me and I realized He was holding on to my Mom as well. I was able to whisper in her ear how much I loved her and it was going to be alright. I was able with confident assurance tell her that Janet and I would be alright, that her grandchildren and great grand children would be alright and in time we would join her in our real home in heaven in the presence of Christ.

We got through that night and the next and no Momma didn’t die and she is coming around and no I don’t understand it all, the whys and what fors, but I know in whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep all that I have committed to Him until His return and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I pray that confidence for every person who may read this and that confidence comes only through Jesus Christ. To Him be glory!

Shoes for orphans

Back in February Greg, Susie, Max and myself were over in Sambir Ukraine in preparation for our August mission. This was my 14th time there. We went down to Dobromyl to check on the church that CHBC had built. I had had a terrible morning and didn't feel, attitudinally up to being around too many people. We went by the orphanage. I had been there many times. The director and the kids are great but that day I was not to happy to be there. I wanted to go back to my place and kick back and rest. I was hesitant to even get out of the car but the director came out and wanted to see me so I got out. I was pleasant but probably my disposition was noticed. Our stay was short and we were on our way.

Later that night as Max and I were getting ready for bed we had a worship time and God showed up. He shows up in the least expected places at odd times. But wow! I don't think I have ever had as intensive encounter before. I could hardly breathe. And while it was too sacred to talk in detail about I did get a thumping about the orphanage. I realized in those hours of encounter that God had meant for me to be at that orphanage and they were His kids and that I had sinned against Him. I repented and asked God to let me have another opportunity to get done what He wanted at the orphanage.

I am so thankful that God is merciful, loving and forgiving and the Author of second opportunities.

The next day we were in Boroslav at lunch when Pastor Voldya's son and wife mentioned the orphans of Dobromyl. My ears perked up. They said the orphans there had a chance to play athletics in the village but in order to do so they needed athletic shoes. He went on to say that he and his wife wanted to buy some shoes but they couldn't buy all the children shoes.

I knew in a second what God wanted from me and CHBC. I said "How much American money to buy all the children shoes?" he said $1200. I told him consider it done.

When we got back to CHBC I shared the need. CHBC did what I knew they would they gave $1500. wow! What a great church. We sent the money and the kids got there shoes and boy were they happy. Thanks CHBC for your great love for people. enjoy a couple of the photos of this precious group of kids. I can't wait to see them in August.Pray for them!

A Christian? Really?

If Our World Had Only 100 people…
Where we live:
11 would be Europeans
14 would live in North
South America
13 would be Africans
62 would be Asians

Who we are:
51 would be female
49 would be male
70 would be people of color
30 would be white

What we have:
7 would possess 59% of the world’s wealth, and all 7 would live in the US
80 would live in substandard housing
67 would not be able to read
60 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would have a college education

What we believe:
10 would be Christians who would care about the last words Christ gave us.
20 might call themselves Christians, but their obedience to Jesus would be doubtful 40 would have some access to the gospel, but they would not yet have responded
30 would have little or no access to the gospel

Dave Ferguson in The Big Idea writes:

“ 1. if you’ve been calling yourself a Christian, you should stop. Maybe not what you are expecting? It is exactly what you and the church need—forget ever being a Christian again.
2. If you have ever encouraged someone to become a Christian, you should never do it again. Seriously, I hope you will never ask a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor to become a Christian.
Why? Because the last thing the mission of Jesus Christ needs is more Christians.
Here is the brutal fact: 85% of the people in the United States call themselves Christians. Now, let’s pause long enough to realize that’s a whole lot of people—247 million people to be exact. But how are those 85% doing when it comes to accomplishing Jesus’ mission? Here is what research tells us about people in North America who call themselves Christians:

• Those who call themselves Christians are no more likely to give assistance to a homeless person on the street than non-Christians.
• Those who call themselves Christians are no more likely than non-Christians to correct the mistake when a cashier gives them too mush change.
• A Christian is just as likely to have an elective abortion as a non-Christian.
• Christians divorce at the same rate as those who consider themselves non- Christains.
• Even though there are more big churches than ever before filled with people who proudly wear the title Christian, 50% of Christian churches didn’t help one single person find salvation.
  

In fact, when the Barna Research Group did a survey involving 152 separate items comparing the general population with those who called themselves Christians, they found virtually no difference between the two groups. They found no difference in the attitudes of Christians and non-Christians, and they found no difference in the actions of Christians and non-Christians. If the contemporary concept of a Christian is someone who is no different than the rest of the world, is Christian really the word you want to use to describe your willingness to sacrifice everything you have to see God’s dream fulfilled.”

Contrast Ferguson’s words and the following story from the International mission Board:

Never the Same
I saw the most hideous face I had ever seen,” said Southern Baptist volunteer
Jack Hinton on a missions trip to the Caribbean island of Tobago. He was
leading music for a worship service at a leper colony.

Rather than selecting hymns himself, the pastor from New Bern, N.C., asked the
lepers to request their favorite songs. When the time came for one last song, a
woman who had been sitting with her back toward the pulpit turned around.
The woman’s nose and ears were entirely gone. Her lips had almost rotted away.
“She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, ‘Can we sing Count Your
Many Blessings?’”

Overcome with emotion, Hinton had to leave the service. Another volunteer followed him out to console him. “Jack,” he said, “I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again, will you?” “Oh yes I will,” Hinton responded.
“But I’ll never sing it the same way again.”

Let’s consider again Jesus’ words and pray that we will become cross bearers and kingdom builders: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?