Faith United Methodist Church

Worship with Faith

I can't talk about the lessons I've learned in my first 40 years without talking about the importance of taking responsibility. Even though we live in a society that encourages us to deflect accountability and assign blame to anyone or anything other than ourselves, the only way we can truly honor God is to take responsibility for the life that God gave us- including the choices we make.

This week will be an important week that reminds us of the God-given freedom we have to live honorable and responsible lives. It will also be a special time of worship at we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion together.

I look forward to seeing you and your family this week and I also hope you will invite a friend to join you as we celebrate God's love together.

With joy- and love- serving as your pastor,
JOHN

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor

Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their fathers. They strengthened the kindom of Judah...(2 Chron 11:16, 17).

King Solomon ruled over all of Israel from Jerusalem for 40 years. His son, Rheoboam took over when Solomon died. Jeroboam (I know; they all sound alike!), a rival of Solomon had fled to Egypt to escape Solomon's sword but returned after the old king died. He received a cold reception from the new king so he led a rebellion that resulted in most of Israel turning against Rheoboam and David's dynasty. This was the beginning of the split of Israel into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.

As part of the rebellion, Jeroboam set up his own gods and system of worship which excluded the Levites whom God had named as His priests. The Levites would have nothing to do with the idolatry so they left Jeroboam to return to king Rheoboam in Judah. A group of Israelites followed the Levites; a group whose hearts were set on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel and as a result Judah was strengthened.

Here's the lesson for us. We grossly underestimate, to our own peril, the extraordinary power that is released when the Spirit of God gets his hands on some hearts that are truly set on seeking the Lord. Judah was weakened by the exodus of most of the tribes of Israel but Judah was strengthened by the Spirit when a group of serious seekers after God moved out to honor and worship Him.

Get the serious God-seekers in your church family together and watch the Lord move to strengthen your church!

Rev. Don Kirsch, Adult Ministries Pastor

1 Chronicles 21 begins by revealing how Satan influenced King David to take a census of the army, something the Lord had forbidden. Over the objections of Joab, David's commander in chief, the King issues the order and the census is taken. There are severe consequences for David's actions as there always are when we disobey the Lord.

As I pondered this story recently I was puzzled that a "man after God's own heart" could be so easily influenced to disobey God even after a warning from one of his most trusted leaders. As we know this was not David's only failure to resist temptation. Remember the Bathsheba and Uriah incident.

Being a person "after God's own heart", is apparently not enough when it comes to standing up against temptation and resisting the devil's attempts to deceive and misguide. We need something more, something only God can provide in order to live in true victory over sin and evil. We need the Holy Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit was active in Old Testament lives too. The Bible says that Spirit came upon Samson (the strong man), Saul (Israel's first king), David and the prophets, to name a few. But they were all still powerless when it came to living a consistently righteous life. They were still vulnerable against temptation.

Here's the difference between then and now. David and the others failed in their attempts to resist temptation because there was no supernatural power within them that could do what weak human nature could not do. But you and I CAN live in victory because by faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is not only present with us but lives within us (1Cor 3:16). And when we live under the control of the Holy Spirit we will not give into the sinful nature (Gal 5:16).

You can live a consistently victorious spiritual life. Be filled with the Spirit! (Eph 5:18).

Rev. Don Kirsch, Adult Ministries Pastor

Over the next several weeks, I'm exploring some lessons I've learned in my first 40 years- places where I hope my next 40 years can be better. This Sunday, I'll be talking about how "I'm Going to be Honest, Even When It's Uncomfortable."

I'm learning that there is a true art to the skill of "speaking the truth in love." I hope you'll join me this Sunday as we explore the ways that lies and honesty impact our lives and how we can grow into the people God created us to be.

I also hope you will invite a friend to join you as we celebrate God's love together. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

With joy- and love- serving as your pastor,
JOHN

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor

The Easter holiday and celebration of the Lord's resurrection and ascension into heaven are barely over when I start anticipating the next 'big day' in the Church's history, Pentecost; the day when God fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit to empower the newborn Church for it's world-changing work of advancing God's kingdom. The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit of God was given so that he could indwell every follower of Jesus from that day forward.

I will probably write often about the Holy Spirit for the next several weeks. Not just because this is the season to recall the sending and the work of the Spirit but because I am profoundly moved by the person of the Spirit, by reading about him in the Bible and by meditating on his power and influence. I am personally moved because I know first hand the difference his presence and power make in the journey through life of any follower of Jesus. And I long for every follower of Jesus to have that same experience and to recognize it for the supernatural influence of God that it is. I pray for every church body to know that difference. Here's why:

The Presence of the Spirit is vital and central to the work of the Church. Nothing else avails. Apart from Him wisdom becomes folly, and strength weakness. The Church is called to be a "spiritual house" and a holy priesthood. Only spiritual people can be its "living stones," and only the Spirit-filled its priests. Scholarship is blind to spiritual truth till He reveals. Worship is idolatry till He inspires. Preaching is powerless if it be not a demonstration of His power. Prayer is vain unless He energizes. Human resources of learning and organization, wealth and enthusiasm, reform and philanthropy, are worse than useless if there be no Holy Ghost in them. The Church always fails at the point of self-confidence. When the Church is run on the same lines as a circus, there may be crowds, but there is no Shekinah (from The Way to Pentecost by Samuel Chadwick, page 7).

COME THOU HOLY SPIRIT!

Rev. Don Kirsch, Adult Ministries Pastor

You may have heard that I recently celebrated my 40th birthday.

Looking back, I know that I've lived a blessed life, but I also know that I've made plenty of mistakes along the way. Thankfully, I also feel like I've learned some good lessons.

I've been thinking about those lessons lately and how I hope to grow from them. I'll be sharing a few of those lessons starting this Sunday in a series of sermons called, "My Next Forty Years."

If you have ever wondered if you were living the life God intended for you, I encourage you to worship with Faith as we explore how we can grow into the people that God created us to be.

I also hope you will invite a friend to join you as we celebrate God's love together. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

With joy- and love- serving as your pastor,
JOHN

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor

I paid a visit to an old friend yesterday. He's in federal prison, with over 11 years left to serve. It's his own fault he's there, and he knows that.

He asked me if I thought God now sees him as a felon. From a legal standpoint, he is. And he will carry certain labels with him- in and out of prison- for the rest of his life. But is that what God sees?

I don't think so.

I believe that God sees us for the very best we can be. I believe that God looks at us- much like we look at our own kids- and sees potential, the best version of ourselves possible. Of course, our actions and our behaviors distort that. And we fall short of what God wants for our lives, but I still believe that God chooses not to label us in the same way we are labeled in the world.

Psalm 103:12 reminds us, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." That means that when we confess and repent, God takes our sin away and does not hold them against us. There may still be debts to society to be paid, but because of Jesus Christ, our debt to God has been forgiven.

So here's the question for today- are you choosing to live the very best version of your life, or are you choosing to settle for something less than what God had intended for you?

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor

Last week I needed to have my vision checked. I had been seeing floating black spots and peripheral flashes of light in the vision of my right eye. The technical term for this in the world of optical medicine is 'floaters and flashers'. Thank the Lord, all checked out ok but these symptoms could have meant a detached retina, a threat to loss of vision. Loss of vision at any level is a scary thought. But we can have 20/20 vision and still have spiritual blind spots to the presence and work of God.

The Arameans, Israel's enemy, surrounded the city of Dothan in an effort to capture the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 6:8-20). Elisha's servant was predictably frightened when he saw the overwhelming force of horsemen and chariots surrounding the city. "What shall we do?", he asked the prophet. Elisha replied, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The servant must have thought, "With us? There's nobody here but us!" Then Elisha turned to the Lord in prayer, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see." When God opened the servant's eyes he was able to 'see' what Elisha had meant. "The hills full of horses and chariots of fire. . ." (6:17). When Elisha prayed for his servant to have 20/20 spiritual vision, God made His army visible to him. Elisha and his servant were NOT alone.

Neither are we. That is what the empty tomb reminds us of. When the forces against us seem overwhelming and situations seem hopeless, may God open our 'eyes', the eyes of faith, so that we may 'see' the power of God that raised Jesus from the grave and be encouraged.

Rev. Don Kirsch, Adult Ministries Pastor

We're getting the e-news to you a little earlier this week so that you can have all the necessary information to make your Holy Week experience meaningful for you and your family.

You can see all the details here on the website. Let me just say that I am really excited about sharing this first Holy Week and Easter in our new building with you. We've got some great experiences planned, plus a few surprises that you will not want to miss.

I hope you will invite a friend to join us this week. And I appreciate your patience and hospitality when it comes to parking and seating in the worship space. We will have extra help with parking this week since we're having multiple worship services. But I still encourage you to arrive early to give your family plenty of time to get settled and in a spirit of worship.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we celebrate the joy of Christ's resurrection.

With joy- and love- serving as your pastor,
John

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor

I was talking with a friend yesterday about running. He's run in several long-distance races, including some marathons, and we were talking about how I've recently started running in the mornings and the lingering soreness that seems to have accompanied this new regimen.

My friend listened and then made two suggestions about my running technique- one having to do with the length of my stride and the other with the placement of my foot when it hits the pavement.

I was amazed. Up until now, I had thought running was running. You lace up a pair of shoes, you put one foot in front of the other, and you go. But he was right. I tried his suggestions this morning and I really did notice a difference.

That's good coaching. And we all need good coaching in our lives. A good coach can help us reach farther and develop more fully. Whether it's in sports, academics, the arts, relationships, life skills, spirituality, professional development, or whatever, good coaching can help make us better than we could be on our own.

Where could you use good coaching in your life right now?

What gifts and wisdom has God given you that might bless someone else?

Rev. John McLarty, Senior Pastor