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This Sunday we will be finishing our series, One More. BUT, we will never be done with doing One More because that is who we are called to be as Christians! Jesus was always about the One More! He called the twelve disciples and invited them to live their lives for the One More. He died for the One More. He rose from the dead for the One More. He commissioned his disciples to make disciples of all nations… all for the One More. You are a One More. I am a One More. There is always a One More in your life and my life. “Lord, choose us to reach One More!” “Lord, choose me to reach One More!” Question: Do you feel inadequate to reach One More? If so, GOOD! We are inadequate - alone. But the Holy Spirit uses us anyway. And… God invites us to lean into Him and grow in our knowledge and ability to make disciples who make disciples. One of those ways we grow in our knowledge and ability to make disciples who make disciples is to get trained in Apologetics (which simply means: defending the faith). Apologetics does three things for us:
Here is the first of five short videos (10 minutes or less) introducing Apologetics. You are invited to join me in this journey! In His Grace and Love, Pastor Steve (for session#2 slides click here)
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This Sunday we continue our series Heavenly Homeland by looking at the faith of Abraham. As I read the call of Abraham, one important question come to mind: How confident was Abraham that he really heard God’s voice? If the instructions were something like: “Abraham, have lamb stew for dinner this evening!”… well not a big deal if it was’t God after all. But… “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you….” Genesis 12:1 That is quite a lot at stake! Or how about later when God speaks to Abraham: “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2 How did Abraham know it was God? Did he ever wonder, “What if I’m wrong?” What about us, today? How do I know God’s voice? How can I be sure? First, we must recognize that Abraham didn’t have any Scripture to consult; so we can assume that God spoke to Him very, very clearly. And God has made it clear that for US, TODAY, he has given us the Scriptures as our guide. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. -1 Timothy 3:16 So whenever we believe God is speaking to us, we rightly ask, “Where is it written?” If it is not clearly in Scripture, then you have every reason to doubt that it was God’s voice. We also have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us discern God’s voice. So in a nutshell: How do I know what God is saying? Look to:
If God’s Word is our ultimate guide… then how do I know I am understanding it correctly? Biblical Hermeneutics is the study of Biblical interpretation. Yes: there is a RIGHT way to read the Bible (and many wrong ways!) If you’d like to begin a journey with me in studying the key principles of Biblical interpretation, check out the short video below. In His Love and Grace, Pastor Steve Was there really a worldwide flood? Many modern scientists would say 'no'. The Bible says 'yes'. For some people the Bible is just a bunch of made up stories. For a Christian, the Bible is accurate history. Apologetics is the branch of theology that answers the questions:
In other words... what is the evidence that Christianity is TRUE? I love studying apologetics because I love discussing the evidence that shows that my faith in Jesus is well-placed. If the Bible is TRUE, then the promise of my Heavenly Homeland is also TRUE; and I can live my life for Jesus and with Jesus in confidence and hope. This Sunday, in our series Heavenly Homeland, we will be looking at Noah's faith and how we can have faith like Noah - Faith the Floats. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday! And if you'd enjoy a short apologetics video about Noah and the flood.... see below. -Steve  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. -Genesis 1:1 Scientists tell us that the universe has a beginning, confirming the very first verse of the Bible to be true. And when scientists say that the universe has a beginning, it is important to recognize that by ‘universe’ they mean: time, space and matter. (You might enjoy the video below from William Lane Craig on the Kalam Cosmological Arguement for the existence of God.) God is not part of the material universe; He is beyond space, time and matter. Scripture tells us that God is spirit (John 4:24). What does this tell us about ultimate reality? I am reminded that ultimate reality is not the material world around me. Yes, the material world is real! Yes, the material world is important - but not most important. What is most important is beyond… beyond the here and now… beyond me. As Christians, we live not for the earthy home which is passing away, but for the heavenly homeland that is yet to come - our real home. This world ultimately will not and cannot satisfy us because we were made for something more. If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world. -C.S. Lewis "You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts."
If you enjoy thinking about questions like these, you'll enjoy this short video on tolerance. And if you really enjoy thinking and talking about these things, consider joining the Apologetics Life Group starting this fall! -Pastor Steve  I did several Easter devotionals during Lent this year. I reflected upon Jesus’ resurrection, the reason Easter is such a big deal. And why a heavy spiritual weight seemed to wage mightily even as Jesus followers sensed the joy of Christ’s victory over death. It seems like the idea of the resurrection causes great offense in some, although we as humans are wired to long for the eternal. Perhaps that is why it can be triggering. Because of the dream seemingly deferred. Hearts afraid to believe in something for which they dare not hope— yet that is putting hope in their own understanding. That is where we fail at faith. Faith is not about my ability to believe. It is not about leaning upon my own understanding. It is faith in Jesus- what he did and who he still is… forevermore. Therein lies my hope... not solely for this life, but for eternity. My faith is not useless by any means, because solely upon that Rock (Jesus), my hope is built. May the resurrection hope of Easter continue in your heart all year long, through faith in the living Christ, our Lord. Pastor Esther But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. He is the creator of everything that exists: time, space and matter. In our life group studying apologetics, we recently watched this video from William Lane Craig. It is a great reminder that there is overwhelming scientific evidence that a creator exists. May we be reminded of these truths and be drawn to worship Him! Therefore, there exists a Personal Creator of the universe, who, sans the universe, is timeless, spaceless, beginningless, changeless, necessary, uncaused, and enormously powerful. “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” -1 Peter 1:16
In the video below, Frank Turek gives a 4-point summary of how we can know that Christianity is true:
You can find it on Amazon here. Interested in digging into apologetics with others from Cold Springs Church? Pastor Steve teaches an online course starting again this fall! Email Pastor Steve if you are interested.  Thanksgiving is tomorrow. We are having a small family gathering at our house for a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet rolls and cranberry sauce. Of course there will also be plenty of gravy… and pumpkin pie for dessert. It is comforting to keep this annual tradition.
But some things are quite different. Janelle’s father passed away in July, and our son, Josiah, will be in Spokane at school until mid-December. Some things are the same. But some things are different. Very different. And the difficult kind of different. But we are still thankful. Thankful for the simple things in life like food to eat and a home to provide us shelter. Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for our church home. Thankful also that in the midst of a broken world plagued with war, hunger, and immense suffering, we have the great hope that one day the brokenness will be of the past and we will spend eternity in the presence of our Lord. I don’t know what our earthly future holds for us, but I am sure it includes some joys and plenty of sufferings as well. In the midst of such uncertainty, we do have this certainty: God is with us. For that I am so thankful. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” -Matthew 1:23 (NLT) Happy Thanksgiving! May the Lord bless you in this season with the richness of his presence. In His Grace and Love, -Pastor Steve |
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