Sermon Reflections from Transform the World | Damon Hopkins | August 27, 2023
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This Sunday Damon embarked on part 2 of the sermon he started last week.  He reminded us that the first step is to take in from God.  Be that going to church, from Christian radio, podcasts, or your own study, we need to avail ourselves of hearing the Word and encountering God.  When we do, the next step is to take it and share it.  Our love for God is energized by encounters with Him.  We are to use opportunities within the week, within our sphere of influence to share about Him.  God commands us to do this in Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Part 2 of this process is to make the sharing real.  We are not perfect for sure, as we are all sinners saved by grace, but our sharing should be authentic and genuine to the core.  We should seek to reflect Jesus in our lives then the hearer or seer will see that our walk with Jesus reflects our talk about Jesus.  Damon had several examples of this from his life and pointed out to us that humility is required.  One needs to be quick to admit their inconsistencies and praise God for His forgiveness and righteousness that covers our sin.  Admitting our own constant need for the Savior requires humility. Although humility is difficult, scripture teaches us that it has great benefits.  It is the high calling of all Christians and helps us reflect our Lord and Savior to the world.
Benefits of humility:  Rest for our souls, Matthew 11:29
                               Salvation as our crown, Psalm149:4
                               Wisdom, Proverbs 11:2
                               Guidance and His teaching, Psalm 25:9
                               Grace, God’s unmerited favor, Isaiah 66:2b
                               Exaltation from God, Matthew 18:4, Matthew 23:12
So when Damon encourages us to be real, vulnerable and open in our sharing, it is the attitude God desires.  To be like Jesus we need humility in our walk with Him.  Our lives are constantly being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.  We need to listen, accept and respond with boldness so we may show Christ to our needy world.  

If we seek to show Christ in our lives, we will see a growth in the fruit provided by the Holy Spirit.  Check yourself, think back and reflect on how you have changed in regard to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life. 
Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.’  How have you seen growth in the fruits of the Spirit in your life?  Are you more forgiving, patient, faithful? 

Do you allow the Holy Spirit to use you to comfort others? 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 “ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
How about your desire to talk to others about Christ?  Do you feel His boldness spurring and engaging you in conversations that before you would have wanted to avoid?   Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

Scripture also speaks of a hope that comes from His indwelling Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:3 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Are you feeling this, are you more hopeful in Christ and willing to share that hope of a solid affirmed future with others? Do experience peace when you know the situation is desperate but God gives you peace and joy?  That is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life!

How about your time with others at work or church?  Do you seek unity of Spirit or demand your own way? Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to every believer.  Think about your gifts and ask yourself- am I allowing God to use them within me? 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-6,7-11  Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 

There is much to ponder and evaluate this week.  If we are to reflect Christ in our lives we need to be humble and use the gifts God imparts to us through His Holy Spirit. 

Thanks Damon for your encouragement to dynamically seek to live for Jesus in both word and deeds.  It requires intentional living for Him!  Thankfully, those He calls he equips!  (Hebrews 13:21 and 2 Timothy 2:17)
Linda
 
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Sermon Reflections from The Bible is For Life | Alex Hardt | May 28, 2023 
 
Pastor Alex chose as the text for the message James 1:19-27.  This is a practical and direct portion of scripture that links the Word of God, Faith and actual living of life.  They interact with each other as we allow the truth of God’s Word to lead our faith in Jesus and provide us guidelines for day to day living.  James does not pull any punches but lays it out for us clearly so we can see the connection and seek to live by God’s Word.

God’s Word is for deep diving.  One can choose to live on the surface but learning to dive deeply into God’s Word leads to us being able to listen, meditate, memorize and study it with intentionality.  Why be intentional?  God want to affect change in our lives.  He wants us to be able to cope and rise above the sin of this world.  He wants us to belong to Him and know what is right and wrong by His standards.  To have the Word affect us, we need to sit down and listen to God.  That means spending time in the Word and with the Word and as Pastor Alex brought up we need to be in community as a person of God.  As the Word impacts us, we are transformed and can better cope with those around us.

James tells us that God’s Word will change how we see ourselves and the world around us.  If we listen and become a doer of the Word, we will see ourselves more clearly- as God sees us.  We won’t go away and forget who we are.  We will not be Sunday Christians but everyday Christians seeking to serve, live and honor God as His Word describes.  That authentic life will give us freedom and cause us to remember how to act with others by God’s standards using godly priorities in our lives.  We will be able to cull out the world’s pollution and influence from our lives and seek and know His truth. 

Lastly, James focuses on the truth of religion- what it is and how we are to be doers of the Word?  When we hear the Word of God, we are to take it in and then apply it to our lives.  Just letting the sermon go in one ear and out the other, does little to add value to our lives.  We need to meditate upon God’s truths we hear and read and say to ourselves, how would God have me use this?   What difference will this make in the way I talk, act and relate to others?  If you find your Bible study is not affecting change in your life, you can be assured that it is not the Word.  It is the doer- the one who hears is not processing and using the Word.  The doer is not applying the lessons and truths to their life.  For example, James 1:26 ”Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”  If you consider yourself a Christian and engage in gossip or telling tales, James would say that your faith is useless.  If you walk does not line up with the truth of God’s Word you are deceiving yourself and lying about your faith.  That makes for a worthless witness for Jesus.  James 1:27 “ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”   Here James is telling us bluntly that as a believer you are to be a doer of good for others, seeing to the less fortunate and you are to keep yourself above the sin of the world as much as you can.  You are to seek to do good and not go along to get along and indulge in the world’s practices.  Both of these verses, help  us see practically how James is telling us to use God’s Word and principles of living contained within them to live for Him.  What kind of a witness will we have if we ignore others, fail to show compassion, seek our own gain and talk openly about others in negative terms?

Pastor Alex summed this up as God’s Words lead us to action and connects what we know and learn from His Word into our lives.  Faith grows as we apply God’s lessons and truths each and every day.  Not easy stuff or for the fainthearted for sure.  However, we know God’s Word equips us.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  We can claim this truth in our lives and rely upon God and His Word through the power of the Holy Spirit to ready us for the world and its challenges.  Praise God!
Linda

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Our Sunday service is online and in-person at 11:00am.
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BY Greg Jensen, interim liaison to Options Health.

While at the Options Health - Walk For Life walkathon on Saturday 5/20, I had the chance to chat with Blayne Wittig, the Executive Director, and she shared the following update. 

They now have official approval to occupy their brand new ministry and health center on E. Leland Road in Pittsburg. Praise God! On Sunday 5/21 they moved most of things over from their existing site on Clayton Road. It’s been a long and challenging journey to this point — to raise the funding, purchase the property, and perform the extensive renovations required. 

However they are still waiting for the state of California to grant their license to operate in the new location. (It’s not transferable.)

Once operational, they will have double their previous site’s capacity! Their expanded services at the new sight includes two separate exam rooms each with its own ultrasound equipment for the care of pregnant women and their babies. Praise God! He is on the move! 

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Excerpts from their website:
https://optionshealth.org/

WHO WE ARE
Options Health is a non-profit organization providing no-cost professional healthcare, education, and support services to individuals and their families in the areas of pregnancy, sexual health, and parenting. We offer safe, confidential, and non-judgmental care, regardless of what pregnancy decision is made.

WHY NOW?
In the US, youth ages 15-25 account for almost 1/2 of the 20 million new STDs reported each year. Today, 1 out of every 4 women in the US will have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old and 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned.

WHY US?
At Options Health, our programs and services provide the education, support, and compassion that women, men and teens need to make life-affirming choices.

— Medical Grade Pregnancy Testing
— STD Testing and Diagnosis for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
— Pregnancy Consultation and Options Counseling
— Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound
— Mobile Medical Clinic
— Parenting Program offering classes, mentorship, and material assistance
— Fatherhood Program offering skill building classes and mentorship
— Sexual Health Education Program for teens and their parents
— Abortion Aftercare Program offering compassionate care for those seeking healing and restoration after an abortion 

73% of those considering abortion chose life for their baby at Options Health as a result of our programs and services.

NO COST
No insurance? No problem. All services at Options Health are offered at no cost and without any insurance qualifications or income requirements.

NO CATCH
Because our services are free, Options Health does not profit from any decision you make regarding your pregnancy or sexual health.

NO WAIT
Many health clinics book several days or weeks out. At Options Health, you can typically be seen on the same day. Walk-ins are welcome