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Working With God

Matthew 12:30 (NKJV) says, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”
Humanity is, by and large, fickle. People have a tendency to be all for something one day, then when the wind shifts they are off on something else. As the church has grown away from the things God has intended for them, loyalty has become an all but forgotten concept. This is why the divorce rate in the church is almost equal to that of the world. These things ought not be so.
My pastor always told me, people are one sermon away from leaving you, and I believe it’s true. People will take offense to something spoken, generally either taking it out of context or allowing the devil to distort it in their minds. They will allow the criticism or dissent of others to affect them in such a way that leaving becomes a good idea to them. They don’t even consider that God has put them there for a reason. When God puts something together, His intent (except for very few reasons), is that it remains intact. Separation in Gods’s eyes is the exception, not the rule. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”
A scriptural principle that has been taught to me (and I’m so happy for it) is that what God does, He has done before. This is called type and shadow. In other words, if you want to know what God is going to do or how He thinks, look at the precedence set in scripture and you can get a very good clue. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” We also see this in Hebrews 13:8 which says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Then in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.”
Like the marriage covenant, God has called His Body together for better or for worse, when it’s easy and when it’s hard. How would your body fair if you broke it up into pieces and scattered them around? Unity in the connection is vital both naturally and spiritually speaking, and any believer’s wellbeing is evidenced in how tightly they are connected. Look at Ephesians 4:16, “From whom the whole body, JOINED AND KNIT together by what EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES, according to the effective working by which EVERY PART DOES ITS SHARE, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” There are no lone wolves in the Body of Christ. It’s simply not scriptural.
In just three years of pastoring there are some things I know are the truth. They are the differences in the victory of those who come into a church and get truly connected and those who don’t. How do you know if you are truly connected? Ask yourself some questions. How often am I in church? If you see your pastor once a month you aren’t connected. Do I think about the church or the people often? Am I serving in my local church? If I were to stop giving (in any way) would it be noticed. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Your heart, mind, and finances will ALWAYS be found in what you treasure most.
No one has ever done anything that they haven’t first thought about. The problem is people don’t test their thoughts to determine whether they are good or not. The Bible instructs us, that WE MUST BRING thoughts into captivity if they don’t line up with what the Word teaches. I have literally been told on several occasions, “God directed me to leave church and just seek Him.” No He didn’t! How do I know? Because God set up the local church, He gave us pastors (found in the local church), and He intended us to be connected and flourish in the local church connected to these pastors. It’s God’s Word and He isn’t working against it! Yes, you have choice but that doesn’t mean every choice is good. The choice is literally life or death and blessing or curse. Consecrate yourself to God’s will and His way of doing things. You will be blessed and so will those around you. God didn’t give us the church to take lightly. You need the church and the church needs you. Only the people who seek and follow after God’s plan ever enter His promised land. Yes, it’s a promise, but it’s waiting on you to walk in, not walk away.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Quick & Painless

We are blessed to live in a place with four beautifully distinct seasons of weather, which makes it easier to understand why the Lord used the illustration of seasons so often in His Word. Look at this familiar passage of scripture, Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” Though there are things that I may like more about one season or the next, there’s truly something special about each one.

Recently, I was headed home, passing over Chautauqua Lake on sunny Spring day as the subtle ripples of the water were glistening and life after the frozen tundra was being rejuvenated. It was truly beautiful. I couldn’t help but to consider how quickly the time had passed by and how painless the winter had felt this year. Let’s face it, if you’re not a fan of snow, there’s a certain dread that starts to come as fall begins to approach its end. I’ve failed and fallen prey to this dread many times in the past, but this year, I decided not to focus on that and it seems to have made a world of difference.

Often times, people, and even Christians, though we ought to know better, will get discouraged by the season they’re in. As you continue to read the scriptures in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, you’ll see the Lord explains that there are seasons for different aspects of life. There’s a time to plant, and a time to harvest what was planted. We can’t be discouraged waiting for the harvest, wondering, “why not yet, Lord?” He promised us a season of waiting. He promised us there would be seasons of mourning and seasons of dancing. See, a Christian walk isn’t always rainbows and unicorns, cotton candy, lemon drops and sunshine. There are different seasons we will both embrace and endure.

Look at Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Our ultimate ending is that of great victory, eternal victory, but on earth we have been promised trial and testing with fire, as we have a real enemy. The trial comes, because Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy us, but Jesus came and gave us life abundantly. (John 10:10) If our focus is right, those seasons of trial will work for our good. If our focus is right, we will sail through them into glistening water, rejuvenated by the victory Jesus wrought for us. It will seem quick and painless.

How do we keep our focus right? Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” We guard our hearts from becoming weary. We do this through the Word of God. One of the best examples of this is in the book of Matthew chapter 14, when Peter walked to Jesus on the water. Jesus had sent His disciples to cross over the sea, but a terrible storm came against their boat. The scripture says the boat was being tossed by the waves! (Matthew 14:24) This wasn’t a little afternoon rain. This was major. We’ve all had moments of rain, and we’ve all had moments where just a little rain would have been nice, if you know what I mean. So Jesus called to Peter to come to Him; in moments of trial, the Lord wants us to come to Him. Peter began walking on water towards Jesus, without sinking, though it was in the midst of a terrible storm, though everything in the natural told him he couldn’t do it. But, when he lost focus on Jesus, he began to sink. So much can be learned through this account. When we are in a season where it looks like we might sink, we focus on Jesus. When we are in a season where all signs point to failure, we focus on Jesus. When our focus is right, we’ll see the victory on the other side.

I love this scripture, 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.” Though this is written to a minister, this applies to us all. We need to be ready to answer every situation with the Word of God. We need to keep the Word of God on our lips and in our hearts throughout every season of life. It is in this truth that we find our hope, our peace, and our victory.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Just Keep Going…

Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Just keep going. These are things we all need reminded of sometimes, even as Christians. Galatians 6:9 encourages us with this, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” In other words, don’t get burned out or exhausted from trying to live uprightly and morally excellent in a world with chaos and a real enemy at work. Don’t get whooped and defeated by this life. You may say that’s easier said than done, but we seriously have to choose to just keep going. What other choice do we have?

Recently, my husband showed our daughter how to ride her bike without training wheels. It blessed me so much to watch his strategy, though I had seen it before for our other children. He helped her on the bike. He told her he’d hold on until he knew she could do it on her own and then he’d let go and she’d be going without being held up. I love the fact that technology allowed me to video tape this experience this time around, because I’ve watched this video many times since. Each time it puts a little more excitement into me.

So, there they were, pretty little girl, pretty purple bike, and daddy, in the yard, about to conquer the world. She gets on the bike, she starts pedaling, Daddy is holding on, and finally, he lets go. Running along side of her, hunched over, speaking in her ear, he yells, “go, go, go!” “Pedal, pedal, pedal…keep going, keep going, keep going, don’t stop!” And wouldn’t you know, she kept on going, pedal by pedal, until she had ridden that bike across to the other side of the yard?

Sometimes we all need a voice in our ear that keeps egging us on, telling us to keep pedaling along. “You can do it!” “Don’t stop now!” And honestly, deep down, we all want to keep going. We all want to conquer the obstacles, to make it over to the other side, and to truly live in victory. The Word of God promised us that victory already! Yes, in the world we will have trials and temptations, but our God has overcome this world! (John 16:33) We need the voice of the Word of God continually there, in our ears, reminding us to keep going.

I love what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” What did Jesus lay hold of? Victory. Complete, total, nothing lacking, victory. The prize of eternal life for all who would call upon the name of the Lord, salvation in this life and the next, for all who would call upon the name of the Lord, is what Jesus laid hold of and He did it for us. When you’re tempted to quit, when it seems easier not to pedal, just remember that if you don’t quit, you get to the other side!

So, just keep going. Don’t quit. Don’t stop. Keep pedaling. Keep pedaling. Keep pedaling. It’s worth it!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Pastor Jeff & Pastor Renée Mitchener want to personally invite you to join us for a service at Family Church Mayville or Family Church Corry. They’d love to share the Word of God with you!

Take Your Eyes Off The Cross (Jesus Isn’t On It Anymore)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the cross of Christ is bad. I’m also not saying that thinking about it, or loving the representation of it isn’t right. What I am saying is that all too often this becomes the focus of our faith, and we forget that Jesus did so much more.

The cross is a symbol I love. The knowledge and remembrance of what Christ paid on it can bring me to tears. The mere thought of His suffering leading to and away from it so gripped me that it led me to salvation as it has for many. The problem lies in the fact that we so often stop at the cross forgetting there is more to a life of faith.

Jesus didn’t just die for us. He didn’t stay in the grave. He didn’t remain defeated. What often times we forget is that the seemingly defeated Jesus was raised from hell by the power of God and seated next to Him in Heaven (Hebrews 10:12). As a pastor, one of the biggest parts of my job is convincing people of the goodness of God and of their victory in Him. It seems as though for so many they can believe Jesus will save them for Heaven, but, despite all His promises for this life, they cling to the idea He won’t while we are here. People pray more from the stand point of luck thinking, “just maybe, God, if He chooses to this time, will bless me,” and not from the place of believing the Word as it says He will, through faith. Mark 11:23-24 and Hebrews 11:6 are just a few scriptures that tell us this. Often Christians stop at the cross, forget about the throne, and choose to live broken.

Most every Christian denomination believes in the great commission as talked about in the end of the Gospels. The New Testament is full of scripture showing us the victory despite the trials of life and a real enemy. Yet somehow we’ve forgotten that the Bible was written for our edification and direction. It’s easier for people to believe in what they see then what is written. The truth is, it always was. Regardless of the fact that we have an entire book speaking on what faith is and what it looks like, people have always chosen their way instead of His way (Isaiah 53:6). Listen, if you truly believe God wants you sick, then why would you ever treat or pray against sickness? If that was the case, wouldn’t you be fighting the will of God? If God wants you defeated, why would Jesus have died for deliverance? Why would you pray for it? After all if it’s God’s will to see you whooped and hurting, who are you to question it? If God’s great commission is to send people to the world because He wants as many people saved as possible, how much sense would it make for Him to do everything in His power to stop you and make you powerless?

I’ll tell you, I lived my life in defeat and learned nothing from it but shame and sorrow. It wasn’t until someone showed me the Truth that I was set free. John 8:31-32 tells us that living by and making His Word of the utmost importance, we get set free. What from, you may ask? Primarily from stinking thinking. It is always through thinking wrong that people have lost sight of God, His will, and the way things work. They blame their defeat and trial on Him when He so clearly told us that it is because we have an enemy. He also told us we have power over that enemy but we have to take it by His Word. The cross leads to salvation but the cross wasn’t the end. You can cling to the old rugged cross, but I’m going to cling to His throne of victory!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Join us at Family Church Mayville or Family Church Corry for a service to learn more about the Word of God. We’d love to meet you!

Scattered & Faint

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NKJV)

The devil always attacks the plan of God. As we see so often in scripture, he always gets to God’s people by deceiving them. The thing about deception is that unless you watch carefully, it’s easy to be deceived. God’s elect, as the Bible warns, are by no means immune to deception. This is why we are warned to both watch carefully and to strictly follow the Word. This is the only way to keep from being deceived.
I have met many Christians deceived into false doctrine because of experience. No matter how spiritual you think your experience is, if it does not line up with the Word of God, then it is not true. We are instructed to test the spirits (1 John 4:1) because even the devil can appear good to people (2 Corinthians 11:14). In fact, often he will hide the poison in just enough truth to get you to swallow it. The Bible instructs us to watch vigilantly because there is an enemy seeking to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8).

A popular thing in churches today is to downplay the role and importance of pastor. I want to present you with the truth through scripture and I do this not just as a pastor, but as one who still has and needs a pastor. The word pastor literally means shepherd. As with all Biblical metaphors, there are natural truths presented in them. It wasn’t an accident that God picked the example of a shepherd to watch over us. We are sheep, and as shown in the first scripture above, sheep without a shepherd are scattered and weary.

People can get bold in their false doctrine. Before you get mad at me, consider the truth of the Word. Jesus was moved with compassion because people were scattered and weary without a shepherd. In Ephesians 4:7-16, we see the first two things Christ did after He ascended. He led captivity captive and He gave us the ministry gifts. When you have a task to accomplish, don’t you usually do the most important things first? Well, God knows better than anyone how to order His actions. Included in those gifts He gave is the office of pastor. It was the fulfillment of what was spoken through the prophet as found in Jeremiah 3:15. Although all the ministry gifts are important to us, only one by design is with us all the time and that is the shepherd. It was not even enough to just have God walk among us and Jesus dealt with this many times. He showed us this by establishing the ministry gifts in order to “perfect us” and also by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, which He Himself said was even better.

The devil has deceived many Christians by two main things: 1) I don’t need a church, and 2) I don’t need a pastor. God does not give gifts haphazardly and without purpose. If we didn’t need it, it wouldn’t be given. So what is the purpose of a shepherd? I’m glad you asked! By the very nature of what shepherds do, they are sent to watch over us, protect us, and feed us with doctrine SO we will be equipped and we won’t be deceived. I urge you to read Ephesians 4:12-16, Jeremiah 3:14-16, and Matthew 9:35-38 carefully. Also read Romans 10:14-15. Another purpose of a pastor is to bring order and supply what is lacking as shown in Titus 1:5.

I am submitted to a pastor. My pastor is also submitted to a pastor. This is, as I have learned so many times, incredibly important to stability. People who are out of order are unstable and unstable people can never truly flourish and experience God’s best. It is so important to understand that God has designed things to work a certain way and that the devil ALWAYS exploits the place where people fail to follow God’s direction.

As a pastor now of just a few years, there are few truths I have come to know. People who aren’t taught well, perish (Hosea 4:6), people not connected to a sound Bible teaching church are unstable, and those not found in the plan of God are lost in their own. You cannot prosper in life apart from God’s plan. You cannot flourish apart from His will. His will is His Word and all the instruction therein. You can receive it or not but your decision will determine your outcome.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Join us for a service at Family Church Mayville or Family Church Corry. We’d love to share more of the Word of God with you!

The Choices We Make

“So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” (Acts 16:31)

In a society where the popular mantra is, “do you,” often times the effects of that are forgotten. Sin is easy; it always was. It’s easier to give in to the flesh, and just do whatever it is you want to, regardless of any consequences. A majority of human problems are contained in self-absorption. That’s why it isn’t at all surprising that the concept of “doing you” is so popular. But is it really right?

I love serving the Lord. It is and has been a joy and a continually exciting experience. Possibly one of the things I enjoy most is the transformation I have found by renewing my mind to the truth. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” In the process of living with a renewed mind, the Lord has enabled me to see things I never could before.

See, I was a person who lived so enveloped in my thoughts that I was hopelessly trapped there. At a young age, I fell down the slippery slope of depression. Depression is, at its core, simply a habit of thinking about oneself. There are things that make you sad, that hurt you, that trap you, and you simply cannot stop thinking about them. In my case, these thoughts always led me to constantly thinking of suicide. At several points, when the pain in my mind was so great, I put the barrel of a shotgun in my mouth, because I just couldn’t take it anymore. Thinking. I just couldn’t handle the pain of thinking. Thank God for Divine intervention!
It wasn’t until I found a church where the pastor cared enough to preach the Word of God without compromise that I started to get better. Sitting there week in and week out, my mind began to be renewed and the pain in my head started to disappear. So how does all this connect with first scripture I started with? To believe on the Lord Jesus means to trust in Him, rely on Him, and let it all ride on Him. It means you give Him your life and you follow His path, forsaking yours. The salvation this scripture speaks of is an everlasting and daily accessed salvation from everything life can throw at you.

What’s more is this: this trust creates in you the knowledge that how you live is far greater than you. See, depression and “doing you” first never considers the consequence. There are people whose lives here and eternally are connected to what you choose to do. There are so many lives that are connected to your salvation and you living it out fully. I never realized that as much until I became a pastor.

Without trust in God you will not follow Him. Not following Him means that others will not see Him in you. There are many “believers” that don’t trust God and these people are not reaching their loved ones or anyone. My wife, my children, and my mother all serve God today because of my choice to trust in and follow Him. What keeps me doing my best to live right? It’s the knowledge that those I love seeing Heaven someday is riding on it. It’s the knowledge that each life I come across, and preach the Gospel to, and share my testimony with won’t have to spend eternity in hell. 1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

Yes my friends, there is a lot riding on our faithfulness. Consider the lives of those around you. Are you a believer but no one can tell? Are you a believer but instead of growing in God you’d rather be sowing to your desires? You can focus on you but in the end that truly doesn’t even help you. Maybe you will have relief in the moment but there is always a time of reckoning. The devil was the first one to do himself. He did it so well in fact that it led him straight to hell, along with all those who followed him.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

We’d love to meet you at Family Church Mayville or Family Church Corry. Join us for one of our services sometime!