Category: Faith Fix

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.

The other day 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 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

We’d love you have you join us for a service sometime so we can share the Word of God with you!

Doers, Not Observers

Have you ever watched some sort of competition or sporting event? Did you notice that even if you rooted for the winner, you didn’t receive the prize or get any accolades? The trophy is reserved for those who compete and win, not those who watch.

I don’t ever want to do anything and not get the most I can out of it. What a shame to have access to greatness and yet fail to ever lay hold of it. Yet this is something that many Christians do everyday. I mention often what Christians don’t do and my purpose for this is not to condemn or judge them. My purpose is to make people aware so that they will strive for more. God is calling us all higher, but only those who climb will ever get there.

At some point, people started thinking that to receive from God, all you can do is ask and maybe He will respond. That sounds good in human theory, but the truth is it is truth-less. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Being doers means that you must do something with the Word, if you want to get what the Word produces. What the Word produces is the very power and ability of God in your life. People are saying, “Please God,” and He is saying, “I already did. Now you do your part”. God says doing it any other way is simply deceiving yourself.

What do you want from your life, your faith, your church, your pastor, your God? People often want what faithful men and women have obtained. They will envy what they have but the question that needs answered is, “Are they willing to do what the others did?” Sure Jesus died for all of us, but why do some have more? The reason is not because God loves one more, but sometimes one is hungrier and thirstier (Matthew 5:6). It is the desire with right motives that God fills, not someone’s complacency.

Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Notice the key part to receiving, finding, and opening is all based first in what one is willing to do. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. If you don’t seek, you won’t find.

When we felt a call to ministry, we started after it with all our hearts. That does not mean that we became ambitious trying to get preaching gigs. It means that we did all we could to be in and connected to the church. We served when no one watched, we gave up so we could give more, and we determined in our hearts to be a blessing to our God, our pastor, and our church in and by any means necessary. Now, many years later, having a church of our own, that determination only grows. We don’t do less for God than we did before, we do more! My life and that of my family’s is the ministry. Not because we have a church but because we recognize we are the Church. If only believers would get that revelation! God never leaves us without but as we fulfill His plan, He keeps us full to overflowing. Whenever I am led, or simply know to do right in my spirit, I do my best to take heed and do it. When it’s stirring on the inside, I have my direction because as Psalms 37:4-5 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” When you have a heart after God, then that leading inside is from Him!

Learn to follow the Holy Ghost by listening to that direction from inside and then doing it. Learn what the Word says and then let Him guide you into all truth. Jesus already paid for it, the Holy Ghost guarantees it, now all you have to do is receive it. God will always lead you right and always lead you to more. He wants you blessed but blessing needs to be picked up and put on.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

We’d love to have you join us for a service sometime. Sunday mornings at 10:30 at Family Church Mayville and Saturday evenings at 6:30 at Family Church Corry. You’ll be Blessed.

Take a Closer Look

Recently my husband and I took a couple of our friends to an art museum for the first time. Art is something that is very near and dear to my heart, as I’ve been an artist my whole life and an art teacher for over 11 years. For me, when I walk through an art gallery I see things with a different point of view and from a different perspective than most casual spectators. I realized this more that evening as I saw someone I know trying to understand art for the first time.

Besides this, this visit showed me the similarities between trying to understand a work of art and trying to understand the Word of God brought forth by the Creator of all. The Word of God is like a painting, with depth of layers, symbols, and imagery we can’t just get in one glance. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In order to fully understand all that the Lord has prepared for us, we need to really dive into scripture. Every word in scripture is meant to help us, to complete us, and to equip us.

Sometimes, we can tend to peruse scripture similarly to the way we peruse artwork in a gallery. We glance at it and if it’s not something that instantly draws our attention, we pass right by it, never looking closer, never truly seeing all it has to offer. This becomes an increasingly bigger dilemma in a world of so many distractions coming from every angle with louder sound, brighter lights, and the like. What God intended for us, though, was to live by this Word He gave us.

It’s the Word of God that we are to use to answer all the situations and overcome all the obstacles of life. In the book of Matthew we see the account of Jesus when Satan tried to tempt Him away from the plan of God for His life, by way of distractions of the flesh. The devil tried multiple times to tempt Him away from the truth, but look how He responded in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” That’s right, the Word of God here is described as our sustenance for life. The Word of God keeps us full. It keeps us nourished. It keeps us strong. It is our bread of life. We need to desire to get the Word in us as much as we possibly can.

When I first came to Family Church in Jamestown, I was brand new to church and I wasn’t a Christian. It was the week in and week out teaching of the Word of God that changed my life. Look at Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It was the Word that showed me who I really am. It was the Word of God that made me realize my purpose in life. It truly is living and powerful in a way that’s hard to put in words of my own. But I would have never known these truths had I not given church a chance. I would have never known how to fully understand the depth of the Scripture without a pastor to teach me. I would have never known the plan God had for me without diving deeper into His Word to find out Who He is and what He desires for His people.

Maybe you’re like I was, not a Christian, someone who’s never read the Bible, someone who would have just glanced and walked by. I encourage you to take a closer look. Maybe you’ve been a Christian your whole life but you still don’t really know what God has for you. I encourage you to take a closer look. Maybe you don’t know whether you believe in the Bible or not. I encourage you to take a closer look. Isaiah 40:8 gives an important truth, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

God has painted a masterpiece. It’s a picture of your life. Yes, it’s individualized for you. Take a closer look. Find out what He has for you. His Word never goes bad. The truth always remains the same. It’s always good. It’s alive. It’s powerful. It’s for you.

If you’re in need of a good Bible-teaching local church, join us for the Word of God without compromise. We’d love to share His truth with you.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

The Key To Peace

I had a friend that, while in a very busy and difficult season of life, lost his car keys. Modern keys, as you may know, are not simple or inexpensive to replace. Normally this would have been just an inconvenience but heaped upon a never ending list of things that needed done that day, the pot was boiling over. Whether it’s keys, a wallet, or a myriad of other lose-able necessities, the thing lost isn’t the problem. The loss of peace is.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Notice the Word says the devil is seeking whom he MAY devour. People don’t realize the devil can’t just devour anybody; he is looking for the open door. Most people, even Christians, don’t realize they have a very real and very sly enemy. He doesn’t have to come right out and kill someone, all he has to do is steal their peace and the rest falls into place. The opposite of peace is bondage. I am well acquainted with bondage because I lived in it for many years.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul tells us, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever you want, that is called liberality and many people confuse these things. Liberty is freedom from bondage so liberty is the doorway to peace. Notice, I said doorway and not hallway. When you go through a door you’re in it, when you go through a hallway you’re heading toward it. Why does that matter? God’s instruction gives you liberty, which is where your peace IS. Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” If where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace and the words Jesus spoke (the Word of God) are Spirit, then the Word of God is liberty. It is peace. This is what He meant when He said in John 8:32, that the truth will set you free.

I laid that foundation so I could build this: if we want to have true peace, the very peace of God, we can only have it by clinging to His Words. No matter what happens in life, we have to hold every Word that He has spoken to us as infallible truth. When we do that, when we rest in that, when nothing that happens can distract us from that, we will then have the open door of liberty to a room filled with peace.

So what did I say to my friend, and consequently myself because I was having my own struggles? Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Also, look at Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Rest on the Word because He’s bringing it to pass. Have surety in God’s Word because He never lies. Look at the birds and the lilies of the field, just as Jesus told us. He takes care of them, how much more you? Nothing is too big for my God and since He gives me all things, nothing is too big for me… even a set of keys. Don’t lose your joy and your peace by things that are temporal. Build it on a foundation that never moves and cannot be shaken. Build you hope on God’s Word and watch your life flourish. Trust in Him completely and just watch what He does for you!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Bad Doctrine

John 8:32 (NKJV) says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Listen to this, “You cannot know what I’m saying is true unless you know what the truth is. You cannot know what the truth is unless there is a truth to be known,” (Unknown).

There is a lot of argument within the body of Christ about who is right or wrong. “Well, I was raised in this religion and I believe this.” Or, “I believe that.” The world looks at Christianity as a joke given the many different opinions. They wonder, “How can I trust you when you can’t all agree?” Brothers and sisters, these things ought not be so. Jesus not only wants us to know real truth and to be free, but He has provided the way to freedom through and only through His truth. (John 8:32) God would not give us a way to something unless He intended us to get there. The very purpose of Christ on earth was to provide a clear and absolute path to truth. (John 14:6)

The Bible IS NOT up to interpretation and truth IS NOT subjective. Only a fool would create an instruction manual they want people to use, but then make it impossible for them to understand it. God is not a fool. God wrote His thoughts clearly, (through men inspired by the Holy Ghost), sealed it with His promise of protecting its integrity, then gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us as we study it. Either it is all true, or it is all a lie. It’s all true. There is no in between. The only hangup is this: will we allow the truth to form our opinion or will we allow our opinion to determine truth? (Romans 12:2)

Jesus and the apostles dealt with this same issue 2000 years ago and the Holy Spirit recorded it. Speaking to the “religious” people of the day, He said, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:9) Wow! You would do well to think on that one for a little while. Similarly, 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “NOW THE SPIRIT EXPRESSLY SAYS that in latter times some WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” If we casually read scripture, we will miss whole truths about God, faith, and how this whole thing works. Deceiving spirits are those who deceive THOSE WHO HAVE the Word of truth! Doctrines of demons are things people believe that do not line up with God’s Word. The Bible tells us this WILL HAPPEN!!! Let me give one other reference so you know I’m not just making things up. Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL (truth) to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” In other words, what God meant then, He also means now, so much so, there is a curse put on wrong teaching! Sadly, though, people will follow wrong teaching blindly, then when trouble comes because they wouldn’t listen to the truth, they ignorantly blame God saying it must be His will. I have heard loads of Christian songs filled with garbage and God’s people singing them in His churches. What an absolute travesty that Jesus paid such a great price for God’s people to turn around and outright reject the very gift!

I have gotten into many “discussions” with well meaning religious people, whose tradition was so engrained in them that, despite having an abundance of clear scripture (not one random one pulled out of context), they outright reject the Word of God! That’s right! They would sooner believe what they always believed than to line their thinking up with Truth. People in this situation almost always revert to the same response, “Well, that’s how you interpret it.” That statement is a copout so sacred cows aren’t stepped on. They will label you an extremist or part of a cult to further push away what is being shown to them. Guess what though; they did the same with John the Baptist, Jesus, and all the apostles to the degree that they had to pay with their lives! In fact, Jesus even said in Luke 16:31, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”

God wants His people to KNOW and UNDERSTAND the truth. So the question remains, how can we? Look at the scriptures but not just casually. Go back to them, think about them, read them in context and study the scriptures around them. There is after all, lots and lots of really good stuff in there! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Word is truth, period! It is just as true as it was before. When you know the truth, only then can you be truly free. Learn from the Word of God and see your life changed like never before but also be willing to let it challenge you like never before. When you do this, you will start to know the truth. Then, and only then, will the truth be able to make you completely free!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

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Jesus Wasn’t A Loner

Jesus wasn’t a loner. And God didn’t make mankind to be loners either. When God made Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, the Bible says He came and spoke with him. God made man to communicate. God gave us a voice and a personality for a reason.

We’re humans. We’re carefully created, beautifully crafted in the image and likeness of God, humans. We should talk to each other. My husband and children know this is a motto I try to live by. You’ll often find me in line at the supermarket talking to strangers. Put me in an elevator with someone and I’ll know at least three things about them by the time we get to our floors. Yes, I’m the one who asks the waitress their name. I’m the one who discusses the weather with the gas attendant. I’m the one who finds every reason in the world to have a conversation with someone new.

While I’m not trying to boast of myself, or trying to treat my behavior as Scripture, there’s somewhere I’m going with this. The Bible says those who want friends must show themselves friendly. (Proverbs 18:24) What does it mean to be friendly? It means to be warm and pleasant to others. It means to be approachable, outgoing, and accessible. Jesus was friendly.

When Jesus was fulfilling His earthly ministry, He approached men and women of various backgrounds and reached out to them. As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw four fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John and He called to them. (Matthew 4:18-21) When Jesus came upon the leper, He reached out to him and made him whole. (Matthew 7:1-3) Jesus took the time to deliver many who were afflicted, oppressed and possessed of the devil. He called out to tax collectors. Jesus healed those who were outcasts, considered unclean.(Matthew 9) Jesus even accepted those, like the sinful woman no one else would accept. (Luke 8) Jesus was friendly. Jesus was compassionate and welcoming. He was warm and kind.

Look at the character and personality of Jesus in Matthew 9:35-38, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'” The heart of Jesus was never to be a loner, but rather to take every opportunity He came across to reach out to people. He felt compassion for those who had no pastor and He expressed His heart for someone to reach out to those people, knowing that the harvest of souls was plenty but the laborers, those willing to reach them, were few.

Mark 16:15, “And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'” How will you be a witness and win people for Jesus of you’re afraid to open your mouth? How will you be a witness and win people for the kingdom if you’ve got no time of day for any small talk? How will you be a witness and bring the promise of salvation to those who don’t know, if you’re a loner. No, Jesus wasn’t a loner, because if He would have been, we’d all be lost today.

Christians should be the friendliest, most outgoing and compassionate people out there. Christians should be the ones who others recognize as always smiling. Christians should be initiators of the conversations that may start with the weather and end up with the promise of Heaven. Let’s not be loners, brothers and sisters. Let’s live like Jesus.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée