In Ephesians Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil (Eph. 5:16).  Even if you don't feel that the days are quite so bad , Paul's point is still important.  We don't know what tomorrow will bring and so we need to make the most of now.  It may not be that you will die tomorrow and so you won't get the chance to talk to your neighbor about Christ.  It may be that they move off or get caught up in their own life and the moment never will comes around.  Life has a way of flowing and taking turns that we don't expect, so we need to use each opportunity as it comes.  T

he last few years I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with my son as my youth pastor.   There was a time in his young life when he couldn't wait to get out of Carthage.  A few years later he couldn't wait to move back here.  During these years I have had the opportunity to minister with him, to study and pray with him.  For those moments I will always be grateful to God.  Moments come and go and my son is following where he sees the leading of God taking him and his wife.  There are so many moments and opportunities ahead in his life and I know that as he surrenders those moments to God, God will do great things in his life and his future ministry.

That doesn't mean that God himself has passed on from me or the ministry of First Christian.  In fact I am sure that God is opening several new doors for us here as we also move onto new opportunities.  This website is one of those new opportunities to reach out, and looking at our ministries at the church and asking the question "Is this leading people closer to Christ or can we do better?"  So my prayer for you is that not only will God open doors of oppportunity (he will) but that you will also have the courage to walk through those doors.  I ask for your prayers for Paul and Michelle as they move on in their life with Christ and prayers for our ministry here.  May we be willing to make the most of each opportunity that God gives to us.

  
             We are looking at the words in red for a time on Sunday mornings.  Those familiar with the Bible understand that means the words of Jesus, which in some translations are printed in red to make them stand out.  There is nothing particularly scriptural about emphasizing the words of Jesus more than other scriptures, but it is insightful to look at those teachings which Jesus himself gave voice to.  We started with a great section of red letters from Matthew 5 through 7, most commonly known as she Sermon on the Mount since Jesus went up on the mountainside to speak.  It may take us all summer just to comb through these chapters because there  is so much in them.  The Sermon on the Mount can be summed up as Jesus’ teaching on holiness.  What is it to be holy and to live a holy life.  In the process he sums up the Law well,  and also points out our utter inability to find salvation based in our own holiness.

As Christians we need to be thankful that Jesus fulfilled the law for us and offered his own life as a substitute for our own.  In faith we accept his death for our death and give up our life to receive a new life through him.  That doesn’t nullify God’s desires for how we are to live though.  We may be freed from the requirements of the Law to gain salvation, but we still need to follow the pattern that God has set out for us. 

The ceremonial laws don’t apply because we are not trying to live as Jews, but through out the New Testament the moral law is affirmed time and time again.  William Hendriksen made the point in his commentary on Matthew that we can’t live a life pleasing to God and disregard his law even if we are salvation is by grace.  That’s a challenge for any of us to understand and undertake, but there it is in the words in red.

        See You Sunday!    Don