Fall Retreat This Weekend!

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be our annual fall retreat at Wonder Valley Christian camp.  We will be arriving at 5:30 Friday evening to begin the fabulous good time.  I hope you're planning to attend.  This is always a great time of relaxed conversations, good food, prayer, sharing, and Bible teaching.  It is, perhaps, a little glimpse of heaven in the way that we are able to spend time with each other without the concern for watching the clock quite as much as usual.  If you are unable to come to the whole retreat but intend to worship with us on Sunday, you'll need to drive out to the camp.  We'll have morning worship at the normal time, 9:30 a.m., with lunch to follow.  I hope to see you there!

Saved from Death by Amazing Grace

We recently studied John chapter 8 in our Wednesday night Bible study (a study to which you are invited, every Wednesday night at 7:00 at the Agape building).  The beginning of the chapter is the the familiar story of the woman caught in adultery.  As she was drug into the temple to be thrown at the feet of Jesus, you can almost picture the smug looks on the faces of the men, those Pharisees and scribes who wanted so badly to see Jesus make a misstep.  You can hear their chauvinism as they say that the law requires that "such women" be stoned.  We know they weren't interested in justice at all.  John tells us they had ulterior motives.  But consider this woman who became the unwilling byproduct of the hatred these men had for Jesus.  In her experience we are reminded of the wonderful grace of Jesus.  

Can you imagine this woman’s situation?  She had just been caught in adultery and dragged into the temple by these ruthless men.  She was probably guilty of having just been involved in an adulterous relationship, possibly moments before.  Then to be drug before this teacher, hearing that this crowd of men intended to stone her, can you even imagine the horror that went along with contemplating this kind of death sentence?  From historical records, it seems that this type of execution was seldom carried out in Israel during the time of Jesus, but it was not unheard of.  It is still practiced in far flung areas of the world today.  But then, while trembling in fear and contemplating a painful end to her life, she hears this teacher respond calmly to the angry mob.  He says a couple of sentences after writing in the dirt, and gradually the crowd disperses.  Then Jesus says the words that are so amazing: “neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”  What an amazing grace she experienced that day!  She literally saw herself go from horrible death to abundant life.   

Should it be any less amazing for us that Jesus has made the same pronouncement over us?  As we come to Him for salvation, He tells us that He removes the condemnation of sin from us, the just verdict of which meant our everlasting death.  He tells us that we are forgiven.  We deserve His mercy no more than this woman did.  We are just as guilty, and the just wages of sin are death.  But God, in His infinite mercy, pronounces us, "not guilty."  And we are credited with the righteousness of Christ.  We go from condemned sinner deserving death to innocent, righteous child of God in the instant that God does His saving work, through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.  I want to remember always the enormous weight that was lifted from me, just as palpably as this woman felt the incredible relief that came from the crowd dispersing and Jesus giving her His pardon.  Lord, help us to be always amazed by Your grace!

But we must not forget His parting words to her: go and sin no more.  This is what we are called to as well.  Realizing, in all of its fullness, what our salvation from death means, how can we not embrace a sinless life as the goal of our lives, to live to glorify God in every part of our lives?   We owe more than we can possibly repay, and that is not what God asks of us.  But our joyful obedience to Him is what He has set us free for.  We know that we are unable by our own strength to do this, but God has provided what we need to do this in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His promise that He will always be with us.  Let us go out in joy from being released from death, and let us go out with the intention to live a holy life for Jesus!

Are You a Knocker?

Many years ago I tried to sell things door to door.  I soon found out that my gift did not lend itself to that type of selling. I would go up to someone’s door and be scared to knock…afraid someone might come to the door! At other times I would knock and could hear people inside moving around but they would not answer the door.  It takes courage for people to walk up to a door and begin knocking, but it is such a rewarding thing to go past the fears we have and discover how many wonderful people are out there in our world. However, sometimes we knock on a person’s door and they open and say, “What do you want?” with a very serious and rough tone of voice. Others open the door with great enthusiasm and invite us in with open arms.  In this world we will have some challenging times when we step out into new territory. However with God, he opens many doors to those who are knockers.

“Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

(Matthew 7:8) GW

Some people go around knocking everything all the time.  They complain about this and they complain about that.  They can never think of anything good to talk about. But, that is not the kind of a knocker Jesus talked about in this story of a woman that wanted bread. When we go around knocking everything and everyone, it’s a result of too little faith. A person of faith will persevere though anything.  The winds and the rains may beat on our house, but genuine faith will never quit knocking. It always believes and never gives up because it is convinced the door will one day open.

During World War 2, some escaped prisoners of war hid for some time in a cellar in Cologne, Germany. They wrote on the wall this inscription:
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shinning.
I believe in love, even when feeling it not.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.

Friend, don't stop knocking - faith will open the Door if you just continue knocking! Keep on knocking!
Faith will help you make it through the darkest time of the night! Ask, seek, and knock.  This has the idea of: ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking. EVERYONE who does these things will see doors open up!  Do you want a door to open for you? Be this kind of knocker.

Selah….

Al Yoder

10/8/2011