Helping Those Who Cant Help Us…………….

Luke 10:30-35
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

I am sure most have heard the story of the Good Samaritan.
Maybe (like me), you have heard it since you were a child in
Sunday School. And yet, this story can teach us so much about how to live a
Christ like life. It teaches us how to deal with strangers, and how to love those
who may not love us…..

The Jewish people & the Samaritans hated each other. The could not see eye to
eye on anything. In this parable, we have a Jewish man who is traveling
down a dangerous road known to be the hangout of thieves. As he was walking,
the thieves mugged him & left him for dead. So here is this poor guy, naked,
injured and dying on the side of the road when a Priest (of his own people) walks
by and sees him there and crosses to the other side of the road and keeps on
walking.

He does not even look at him close up, he just sees a person lying there
and crosses the road…. The next to come by is a Levite (another religious leader).
He was a little more compassionate in that he at least came over to the guy and
looked at him up close, but in the end, he to crossed the road and left him lying
there. It was not until a Samaritan came by (the mortal enemy of this injured man) that
he got any help. The Samaritan bandaged him up. Set him on his own animal
(probably a donkey), brought him to an inn & took care of him.

The next morning, when the Samaritan had to leave, he gave money to the innkeeper and
told the innkeeper to take care of the man, and if the cost came to more than the
Samaritan had left with the innkeeper, he would pay him back on his return
journey. The Samaritan said just put it on my tab…..

This is what Jesus did for us. We were that man lying half dead. We were the ones
left lying on the side of the road naked & bleeding, and when Jesus died on the
Cross, he told God, put it on my tab. I will pay the price for them. When He
was dying on the cross he used what little breath He had left to say these
words:

Luke 23:34
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

When Jesus said these words, he pressed the reset button (to put it in modern terms),
for the whole world. With these simple words, Jesus paid the price for everyone in the world, even those who put Him on the cross, because He did not want any person to be lost.
This moment was the beggining of the grace that we now live under, and the fullfillment
of the law.

In these few words, Jeus also sets the example as to how we must be towards our fellow man.

It does not matter whether we agree with them or not.

The Jews & Samaritans hated each other because of
religious differences, they both thought that the other was wrong,
and yet the Samaritan was the only one who had compassion on the Jewish person who he did not even know.

Sadly, the situation in the Church today is much like it was then. There is so much fighting over dogma and man made beliefs, that many would not think of helping those who do not believe the way they do.
I am speaking here of the Christian Church as a whole, not even mentioning the other
people who have a different faith or no faith at all (and yes we should be helping them as well).
My friends, to ignore those around us who are in need or in pain is wrong, and is not what Jesus commandedus to do.
In fact, Jesus tells us that when we show this type of compassion and kindness to another person, we are in fact showing it to Him. And if we dont, then we are leaving Him by the side of the road……………………….

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
We must help those who are in need. There is an entire world dying around us.
They may not be literally on the side of the road half dead, but they are hurting none the less.

We must go to them and have compassion on them. We must pick them up, bandage
them up and give them the help they need.
Maybe they need food, clothes, money for rent, the power or water bill, whatever.

Its not enough to bring them to a place where help might be available for a price, we must go that extra mile, like the Samaritan. We must give them the help they need and put it on our tab. When we
do this, we are promised to be blessed spiritually and financially, but that can not
be the reason we do it. We must do it out of compassion (love) for our
fellow man.

God Bless You All!!!

Pastor Brian

Nothing Is Impossible With God

There is nothing that God cant do…..

Often times in life we face challenges. It is the nature of the world and has been since the original sin. However, if you trust in Christ, you have hope and you know beyond a doubt that God will see you through these problems. The key is perseverance. To keep coming to the Lord, to keep praying and to have Faith.

In Lukes Gospel we read a parable that Jesus told of an ungodly judge and a widow:

Luke 18:1-6

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

Pay attention to verse 6. This is Jesus telling us to keep on bugging Him. Don’t give up, don’t quit, even if it seems all hope is lost KEEP COMING TO THE LORD IN PRAYER. He will answer….

Luke 18:7

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

This is a promise from God telling us that He will deliver us. It may not be in the way we expect or at the time we expect it, but He will come through.

The faithfulness of God is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. If we look at the book of Job, which is the oldest book in the Bible (the current order of the books in the Bible were put together through various Ecumenical Councils over the years), we see that the entire book is about having Faith that God will deliver you from anything, you just need to have Faith and to keep seeking Gods face.

So today my friends I tell you this. NO MATTER what you are facing, turn it over to the Lord. HE will take care of it and you. will we still have trials and tribulations? Yes. But we know that with God all things are possible.

Let us pray:

Father today I ask that you give faith and comfort to those who are facing trials. Let them know that you are there. Let them know that you will guide them through whatever they may be facing and that you will send people to help along the way.

In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

God bless you all as you go through your week.

Pastor Brian

Looking Ahead To 2014…………

Another new year is upon us……………

In just a few days we will say goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014. Time my friends seems to move faster and faster every year.

Right now, many people are thinking about and writing down their new years resolutions, things they want to do better in the coming year, things they want to leave behind and things they want to start or start again. My prayer is that should you be one of these people who participate in new years resolutions, that you will keep it simple, keep it real, and set obtainable goals for yourselves.

 

While we are looking forward to a new year, its good to glance back at the year that has just past. But it should be just that, a glance. We must be careful not to stare back and get hung up on what has happened in the past because the past is just that, it is past, and for good or for bad,  It can not be changed.

What we can do though is learn from our failures and mistakes, and build on our triumphs and successes. You must not let your past failures control your future, and on the other side, you must not let your triumphs define who you are going forward.  Each day is a new day, and each day will contain its own failures and triumphs. Too many people try and ride the “coattails” of what they have done right in the past, and beat themselves up over what they have done wrong. Each and every day is a new day, and is a chance to wipe the slate clean.

 

So please, take each day as it comes. Make each day count doing everything you can to serve the Lord.

So on those days you fall, try again the next. You are not the only one in the world (even if it may seem that way) who this happens to….

Romans 3:23

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Don’t  wallow in it like a pig wallows in the mud. Get up, dust yourself off, turn to our Lord who by His blood, makes us all clean and new, and keep trying……

 

1 John 1:7

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

On the days you succeed, thank God for that success, savor the moment,and then put it on the shelf and look for the next triumph.

 

Philippians 3:14

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

Above all else, live each and everyday to its fullest, in the service of our Lord.  We are not promised tomorrow. All we have is right here, right now.

 

So reflect and learn, but keep looking ahead. Give it to God and He will lead you where He wants you to be. Keep on moving, and keep the faith. Strive to be all things to all men, that by all means needed you might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

 

Forgive those who have done you wrong, do good to those in need, obey the leading of The Holy Spirit.

No one can know what this new year holds, but we can know that with The Lord by our side, it will bring what He wants it to bring.

 

Strive to obtain 2 Timothy 4:7:

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

 

There is no better goal than this……………

God Bless you all and Happy New Year. May the Lord of all creation bring you light and peace in 2013.

Pastor Brian

A Message From Pastor Brian and a sermon on The 8 Step Program………..

Hello My friends, I hope and pray that everyone is well & blessed. 
Hard to believe that another year is almost over. Time really does seem to fly, and the older I get, the faster it seems to fly :). 

As we move rapidly into the Holiday Season, we will be celebrating many things. Kids will be dressing up in anticipation of the sugary delights given out by friends and neighbors. We will gather with family and friends to offer thanks for all of life's blessings and of course we will commemorate and celebrate the greatest event ever known to mankind, the birth of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ.

This coming season is for most people not only the most joyous time of the year but also the busiest, and the staff and I here at Pacific Life Church, are no exception. In fact, this is our busiest time of year as we prepare to not only celebrate with our own family & friends but to distribute food to those in need and as we kick off our yearly "Give Six" campaign......

As I do most years, I will be taking my yearly vacation with my family starting today 10/20/2013 until 11/3/2013. Because of this I will be re-posting sermons from the past for the next 2 Sundays. 

I hope you all enjoy these Sermons. Also know that you can read the archives here on WordPress, you can read and listen to audio sermons at http://www.pacificlifechurch.org and you can also read daily thoughts, prayers and Gospel Readings from PLC's own 

Pastor Mandy:  http://mandyspath.wordpress.com

and

Friar Jeff: http://warder5150.wordpress.com

Thank you all for your continuing support and God Bless!!!!!

 

Pastor Brian

2 Peter 1: 5-7(NKJV) 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

  These verses are a road map for Christian life. The are especially true for new Christians. If you follow these to the letter, you will be pleasing and acceptable to God…….

 These verses start out by telling us that The Lord has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a Godly life. It is a step by step manual, condensed to 37 words, and yet, these 37 words give us everything we need to live how Christian should live. 

Rehab programs have their 12 steps, here we have our 8 steps to a Godly life: 

Step 1- Give diligence to the promises of God. Check them out and see for yourself. Believe the promises of God. This is FAITH, and that is not only the first step, but is also the foundation.

 Step 2- To your Faith, and VIRTUE. Virtue is laying aside the things that you once did. The things that kept you from having a full and complete relationship with God.

 Step 3- To your virtue add KNOWLEDGE. You add knowledge by reading and studying The Bible. You need to do this for yourself. Listening to Preachers/Pastor/Teachers is a good thing, but it is no substitute for studying the Word Of God for yourself. Be like a sponge, soak up all the Bible that you possibly can.

 Step 4- To knowledge add SELF CONTROL (Temperance). By absorbing and applying to your life what is found in scripture, you will learn how to have self control. That still small voice that is The Holy Spirit will speak to you about things that need to be put aside, all you have to do is listen.

 Step 5- To self-control add PERSEVERANCE (Patience). A lot of people (especially early on in your walk with the lord) get stuck on step 5. Once you have self control, and you stop doing certain things, you will face some ridicule from those people you know. Even your family may not understand how you can be one person one day, and a totally new person the next, but by having patience with them (and yourself), they will come to accept that you are a different person and that what you have found is not just some passing phase.

 Step 6- To perseverance add GODLINESS. Some misguided Pastors expect you to have godliness as soon as you accept Jesus into your heart. They don’t mean any harm, but as we can see from the verses above, coming to live a full and complete Christian life is a process. Of course you are a changed person and a new creation the moment you accept Jesus, but just as a physical newborn goes through steps to come into being an adult, so must the spiritual newborn. Nobody would even think of handing a baby a steak and saying “here is your dinner”, so why then would we expect a newborn Christian to be able to eat (let alone digest) everything that is needed to be a mature Christian. 

Step 7- To Godliness add BROTHERLY KINDNESS. Ok, things are getting harder… Do you see why you cant skip from step 1 to step 7? Brotherly kindness is showing kindness and love to other Christians (yes, even those you may not agree with). Even within your own Church there will be people who we just “clash” with. This is a fact of life. But by following step 7 we can show them love and kindness because as Christians, we are all Children of the same God, and heirs to the same throne. You may not agree with me on everything, and I may not agree with you, but we are still family, and just like our earthly family, there may be those who we wouldnt want to live with, but that doesnt mean we don’t show them love and affection or give them help when they need it.

 Step 8- To Brotherly kindness add LOVE. That’s the biggie, and is one of the hardest to do. That is why it is the last step. You have to have a foundation of all the other steps to be able to effectively have this one. The love that is written here is a deep and profound love for all mankind. Even your enemies!! Anyone can love a person who loves us back, but it takes a firmly rooted Christian to love those who do not love us, those who disagree with us, those who mock us for our faith, even those who would do us physical harm for our faith. This is the type of love that Jesus had when he was hanging on the cross. Even after everything they had done to him, he prayed “Father forgive them, for the know not what they do”. Make no mistake, He had it in his power to stop the crucifixion at any time. With just one word to God, 12 Legions (in the neighborhood of 24 to 36 THOUSAND) of angels would have been sent to Him, but even though he had it in His power to kill them all, He chose the path of love.....

 To borrow a phrase from recovery programs, if you “work” these steps, you will come in to the fullness of God, and live your life victorious in Him.

 

Be Content………..

Today we are going to talk about people who do you wrong and how we should deal with this… This will get deep, so sit back, take out your Bibles, and get ready, because we will learn today how to forgive.

Touching on  this  subject may upset people. There are many people listening, reading and watching this that are in this situation, and there are those who are doing the bullying that will be offend and come up with the most elaborate and in some cases well thought out and even (what they think are) Biblical excuses for their behavior.. I have news for then though, there are no excuses (especially Biblical excuses), and not only do they hurt the targets of their  bullying, they will hurt their own soul.

 

So to get right down to it, I want you to imagine something (if this has happened to you wont have to imagine), but for those who have not we will do it this way:

 

Imagine that you have spent 3 months of our life working on a project. You have given your all, 100% to make sure that the project was done right and done on time. You expected a to be compensated for this project (financially or otherwise), and yet when the project is finished, or the work done, the person who had you do the project refuses to give you what you are owed.  Doesn’t feel very nice does it?

 

In Luke’s Gospel Jesus deals with this issue:

 

Luke 6:27-29

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

 

28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

 

29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Our scenario above is the very definition of despitefully using you. And when the person who is doing this to you claims to be a fellow Christian or a Minister or especially a friend, it makes it doubly hard to forgive them. But forgive them we must.

 

Why? Well we need to look just a few verses down to find out:

Luke 6:38

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

This verse is used by many Preachers and others right before they pass the collection plate. It is also one of the theme verses of the prosperity Gospel movement. But my friends, the meaning of this verse goes much deeper than giving money (as they would have you believe).

Giving means to give your all. Your time, your energy your resources and on and on. In short though it means to give your ALL. To apply yourself with everything you have to whatever you are asked or told to do. If we use the example above this means to do like they did and give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You may be promised something in return, but that can not be the primary focus. The primary focus must be the act of giving and applying yourself. When you work, when you are asked to perform a task, you need to do that task as if Jesus Christ Himself told you to do it because in the end, He is the one that did….. He is the one that brought you there, He is the one that gave you that opportunity, and He will make sure that you are taken care of when you apply yourself and do the task just as if He was the one who assigned it.

I have traveled through many countries in the world preaching when I was young in Ministry. Now days I do a lot of weddings and other Ministerial services closer to home. I have charged a set fee at times but I have found out over the years that I was blessed more when I accepted whatever was offered and had no expectations of compensation prior to the Ministry event. Sometimes it was money, sometimes it was a place to stay, sometimes it was food, sometimes it was just a hand shake. In closing today I urge you to try as well to live by these words written by The Apostle Paul:

Philippians 4:12

     I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 

 

And why should we do this?

 

Philippians 4:13

 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Fishers Of Men Part 2- Dont Rent Jesus……..

Today’s sermon expands on a sermon from last month.  Once again we will be looking at Peter and how he met Jesus. We will also touch on a topic that I am very passionate about, and that is those people who try to “rent” Jesus out for their own gain. Contrary to what you may have been taught in Sunday School or even taught all your life, “renting” Jesus out is what it means to take the Lords name in vain (Exodus 20:7). Some of todays sermon will be a duplicate of the one preached last month but I urge you to read it again because there are many new thoughts and insights today.

God Bless!!!!

Pastor Brian

 

 

Today we are going to talk a little bit about Peter……..

As most people know, Peter is revered by many denominations, and it is clear from Scripture that Peter was Jesus’ “right hand man”.  They often traveled together when the other Disciples were off preaching elsewhere. When the authorities came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of a soldier, ready to die defending Jesus.  But what about before all this? How did Peter get there?

 

In Johns Gospel , we are told that Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus:

 

John 1:40-42

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

 

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

 

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

 

So even though Peter knew Jesus, he had not committed to him yet. He may have spent some time with Him, he listened to Him preach, but Peter was not yet the dedicated Disciple that comes to mind. Peter was like a casual Church goer. Maybe he liked what Jesus was saying, but was not yet convinced of His divinity, that he was the Messiah……. This all changed due to an event that happened while Peter was at work.

 

 Luke 5: 1-6

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

 

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

 

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

 

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

 

If we look at this exchange from Peter’s point of view, there are all kinds of reasons Peter could have told Jesus no, and all kinds of excuses that he could have come up with to justify his refusal to go out into the deep………

 

First – Jesus isn’t a fisherman. He’s a preacher/teacher. He’s a nice guy, He’s a good teacher, but fishing isn’t His thing……..

Second- it’s the wrong time of the day for fishing… it’s too hot, the sun is shining bright, and the fish would be hiding in their holes in the deep, cooler water…….

 

Third-  Peter and his friends are tired… they’ve been out all night, they haven’t caught anything, and Peter had already took Jesus out into the shallows so that He could preach to the people who had gathered to hear Him……….

So like I said, Peter had a lot of excuses, but what does he do?  Peter made the decision to lay all of the excuses aside, and do what Jesus asked of him, and was rewarded for that obedience beyond anything he had ever dreamed of.

 

Luke 5:5-7

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

 

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

Can you imagine what was going through Peter’s mind at this point? He had just witnessed a miracle first hand, he had just caught more fish at once than he had ever caught. Imagine the economic benefits that Peter could have reaped by keeping Jesus around. But Peter does not think that way, instead he realizes that he is not worthy of this honor. He tells Jesus in Verse 8:

 

  8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

In that moment,  Peter realizes that his life is empty. That he is just going through that motions, and he feels unworthy to be in the presence of The Messiah…..

The two main points that I want everyone hearing, reading or watching this today to take away are these:

1)      Jesus blessed Peter beyond his wildest dreams, and Jesus will do the same thing for us today. But we must be like Peter. We must be humble and can not let the blessings, the economic gain, the money become our primary motive. When the Lord comes into our lives and blesses us, we have to have that same spirit that Peter had, that spirit of humility that is in our hearts and our minds. We should be so humbled and thankful that we say “Lord I am not worthy to be in Your presence”, because I will tell you here and now, the Lord does not owe us ANYTHING. He will give us the things that we need, but it is not OWED to us….

 

In the Church today there are so many preachers/evangelists that preach what is called the prosperity “Gospel” or as I like to call it, “name it and claim it”.  When Jesus moves in their lives and provides a mighty blessing, the first thing they try to do is package it and sell it by fleecing the people. Peter could have attempted to use Jesus for his own gain. He could have tried to wheel and deal with the Creator Of The Universe. Peter could have been like “you know Jesus, this is a pretty good racket we got going on.  I’m thinking that I should keep rowing you out and you keep bringing those fish in and we can all make some money”.  “And then we can charge all those people who come to hear you preach, and we can even rent You out to other cities and towns, but we wont go unless they agree to our price. “ And hey how about we cut up some cloth and we can tell people that it is your old robe and that they will be blessed by it. Think of how much we could charge for those”……..

 

Of course what I have written above is an illustration to make a point, but the sad fact is in todays Church, many people are doing just that……..I could name off a whole list of preacher & evangelists who at this very moment are renting out Jesus, and He comes complete with a piece of cloth (also known as a prayer cloth)and  promises of healing and deliverance from anything under the sun. All packaged up in a beautiful package with full color photos (of themselves), all for the low, low price of a“gift” of $50.00 or more   They try and sell you pieces of cloth that they have sweat on saying it contains the “anointing” and for a you can have one too.   They promise that the Almighty Power of the Lord will flow from these items that they sell,  and sell it to you in pretty packaging like some kind of self help program.

 

2)      We a Christians and especially those who claim to be leaders, whether you call yourself Pastor, Bishop, Elder, Apostle, whatever need to lay aside our excuses and do what God tells us to do. We can always find an excuse for not doing what The Lord is telling us to do. But no matter what your excuse is, it will boil down to the bottom line and that bottom line is FEAR. Fear of rejection, fear of sacrifice, fear of upsetting a cushy lifestyle, fear of what your family and friends may think, fear of ANYTHING. Peter was afraid, but he got over it. The Lord tells Peter in Verse 10,   Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. or as Matthews Gospel puts it:

Matthew 4:19

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 

We know the rest of the story, Peter and his partners land their boats and they leave it all behind to follow Jesus.  Peter goes on to become one of the closest confidants of Jesus while he walked this earth, an influential leader in the early Church, and the only person besides Jesus to ever walk on water.

 

 

Today Jesus is still reaching out and calling people to be his Disciples. He is still telling us to FEAR NOT and we will be fishers of men.  But like Peter we have to be willing to leave our old life behind. We have to be willing to let go of everything and humble ourselves to the point of death so that we can live through Christ.

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I call on everyone who is hearing my voice today to humble yourself before the Lord, overcome your fear and launch out into the deep water and cast your nets.  Get out from behind those rose colored stained glass windows and out into the streets. As it says in the 14^th Chapter of Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 14:23
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Go out and be fishers of men…….

God Bless You All!!!

Pastor Brian

Having A Saul Moment, Sunday Sermon, 07/14/2013

 

At one point in my Ministry, I was heavily involved in the Christian Music Scene. This was during the infancy stage of Christian Rock and Christian Metal.  I also traveled the US & Europe with my Uncle who was at the time a CCM Artist as well. He would sing and I would preach and then we would join each other on the stage to pray for the people.

After many years I will admit that I became a bit jaded when it came to music.  Maybe it was the long hours on the road, maybe it was hearing the same songs over and over but mostly I think it was the fact that many of the artists that I was around and working with talked a good game but failed to live it out…..

Please do understand that by that last paragraph, I am not judging these artists or what is in their heart or their commitment to The Lord, because that is not (thankfully) my place, that is God’s place.  What I am saying by that last line above is that after the concert hall was empty and the roadies were busy tearing down & stowing the equipment, I witnessed many (not all but many) of these Christian artists go back to their rooms or to other places and there were parties going on that rivaled the most “notorious” secular rock/metal bands that I worked with (and for the hard partying, go-go 80’s, that is saying something).  SO yes, I was jaded, and this eventually led to me dropping music ministry and just preaching.  In the years between then & now, I have not paid a lot of attention to the CCM scene. Yes I love praise & worship music, but in my daily life my radio was always tuned to the news station….

This past weekend I drove from the San Francisco area to Santa Barbara in Southern California (a 5+ hour drive) to help with a kids fishing derby.  During this time my news station eventually faded and driving down the coast, I scanned for another to no avail.

When I a driving long distances (especially if I am alone), the radio in my car (whether it be the news station or something else) becomes little more than background noise. Something to fill the silence that is in the car. So when the station scanner landed on Christian Station KLOVE, I did not pay much attention to it. As it turned out this weekend that I was making this drive, they were re-playing an awards ceremony that they had held. As I drove, I listened to the names of bands (some familiar, most not) receive their awards.

At one point a band took the mic and introduced themselves as “For King & Country”, and they were presenting another artist called “Big Daddy Weave”. For an old guy like me, these names sounded very strange………. So I turned the radio up a bit not really expecting much (jaded remember), but what I heard shocked and humbled me and has changed me and my perception…….

You see this band “For King & Country” started talking. But instead of thanking everyone under the sun and tooting their own horn, they relayed a story. Once the audience quieted down, the first words they said were “there is a reason we do what we do”. They then went on to relate how a person that was connected with them in some way (I don’t remember how) was driving and was suddenly overcome with the urge to call a friend of theirs. This person talked to the friend and they sounded down but the other person brushed it off and hung up after a short conversation. A few moments later this same person was once again overcome by a desire to call the other back. This time they said the desire was so strong that they knew it was the Holy Spirit. So they called back and while the phone rang they prayed. When the person answered the phone they were very upset and crying and just broke down and said that they had just swallowed 70+ sleeping pills…………

The person who the Holy Spirit had told to call was able to pick up another phone and call for help while keeping their friend on the line. Paramedics arrived and their friend survived. It turns out that they had been having some difficulties that they were too embarrassed to share and had decided to end it all. Upon taking the pills though they had second thoughts and realized that it may be too late as they could not see straight enough to even dial 911. If the other friend had not followed the urging of The Holy Spirit, then things would have most likely turned out tragically.

 

Everyone was in tears by this point (including the artists who were relating the story), and it was with some difficulty that they went on to introduce the other artist “Big Daddy Weave”. Big Daddy, instead of brushing the story off and going into an awards speech,  stood up and said “wow”. He then began to sing a song called “I Am Redeemed”.

It was during Big Daddy’s song that I lost it and began to cry and that the Holy Spirit moved on me convicting me for lumping all of these Christian artists into what I had seen in the past.  I pulled the car to the side of the road and listened to the song and just Praised The Lord and asked His forgiveness for the hardness that had crept into my heart (even though I did not know it, I should have). ………….

You see, I had been judging these hard working Christian artists for a long time. Just as the Pharisee’s judged Jesus. These artists,  having what I considered to be “funny” or “unchristian” names, had put me right next to those high & mighty “religious” men who condemned our Lord to die….

Having been subject to the judgmental actions of other Ministers many times throughout my Ministry,  I should have known better, I should have recognized the signs, but a hardness in my heart towards Christian music (due to what I had seen) blinded me…..

At that moment , sitting on the side of California’s beautiful Pacific Coast Highway (PCH-Highway 1/101), I felt  a bit like Saul. Yes the Saul who was jaded,  the Saul who was the top persecutor of Christians, but also the Saul who, after having a personal experience with the Risen Jesus,  was blinded so that the changes in his heart could be completed and he would become Paul and end up writing 2/3 of the New Testament that I have been preaching out of for years…….

Praise God, He always gives us another chance!!

 

 

So today my friends, I ask you to search your own hearts. If there is bitterness or judgment there, let it go. Have a Saul moment. You will be better off for doing so…. I know I am……

 

I am also sharing 2 of the songs that I have talked about in this sermon. I hope and pray that they bless you as they did me!!!

God Bless You All!!!

Pastor Brian

 

“Big Daddy Weave- I Am Redeemed”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSyLqbP8Z4I

 

“For King & Country- Busted Heart (Hold Onto Me)”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJvL9rHCpys

Ill Lead You Home……….

Sunday audio Sermon.

Please keep in mind that these sermons were recorded and originally broadcast in 2011 (that is why you will hear my mention October). The message however is still a good one.

 

We are currently working on some new audio and video sermons to share.
Also please feel free to take advantage of the FREE download of this (and any other) Sermon at the link below. You can save it onto your computer and listen to it anytime you want.

God Bless you all!!!!

Pastor Brian

http://pacificlifechurch.webs.com/apps/podcast/podcast/158274

Roman12, Renew You Mind Daily………….

I have had many requests for audio sermons, so today I present to you an audio sermons from 2/2012 when I was still doing my radio show.

I hope you enjoy it. Please listen, and  if you would like to download a copy in MP3 format you may do so.

The link to the sermon is here:

http://pacificlifechurch.webs.com/apps/podcast/podcast/190136

 

You will also find the download link in on the same page.

While you are there, feel free to look around our website:

http://www.pacificlifechurch.org

 

God Bless!!!!

Pastor Brian

 

 

 

Be Not Troubled, Sunday Sermon, 04/07/13

 

With the current state of the news and events around the world and here in the US, many people are talking and are worried about what is going on. We have North Korea threating to fire nuclear weapons at the United States, Iran and other countries who are seeking to get these same weapons.

This morning, I would like to get into what Jesus had to say on this subject.

Right before the verses that we are going to look at, Jesus had just let the Religious leaders of the day have it right between the eyes…. Calling them hypocrites, liars, serpents & vipers.  He was done with them and told them that they would not see Him again until they said Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. This can all be found in Matthew 23.

We will pick up then right after all this in Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:1-5

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many

There have been literally hundreds of people over the past 100 years (and even before) who have claimed to be Jesus reincarnated (or the second coming of Jesus).  Of course Jesus knew that this would happen, and is warning the Disciples and us not to be deceived.  Many people have been deceived by these men, and tragically, many lives have been lost because of it. I myself met one of these people when I was very young…. His name was Jim Jones, and I am sure most people know what happened to him…..

We must follow the teachings of Jesus and do not be deceived by anyone who claims to be Jesus. My friends, when Our Lord comes to this earth again there will be no mistake. He will not come this time humble and in a manger. This time Our Lord will come in all His Glory and will take His rightful place as the King Of Kings and The Lord Of Lords.  How wonderful and glorious will that day be!!

 

But back to current events.  In verse 6, Jesus tells us:

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet

For many years there have been wars & rumors of wars. From WW1 & WW2, to Vietnam & Korea. In more recent times there is the wars in the Middle East. Now we have North Korea making threats…. But What does Jesus tell us?
see that ye be not troubled

Cant get much more plain than that. Jesus is telling us that these things, these wars and rumors of wars must come to pass. Why? Because He prophesied it in this verse and my friends JESUS CHRIST CAN NOT LIE.

 

So today as you go about your day, and you hear these things on the news or read about them online, I ask you to not worry, and to say a prayer for those who are in harms way. Our Lord will keep us in His arms. We may face trials, we may face wars, we may be persecuted, and yes a time may come when we as Christians may be called upon to give our life for our Faith….. But the hope that we have is in the promise of Our Lord in Verse 13:

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

 

God Bless you all and you are all in my prayers for Peace, even the Peace that passes all human understanding….

 

 

Pastor Brian