Faith

Demonstrating Our Faith

March 25, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

Kyle Idleman has written another challenging book. This one is entitled, “Don’t Give Up”. Early on, Pastor Idleman makes the statement, “Faith doesn’t tend to be sedentary. It’s always sending us somewhere.” He follows this up by encouraging us to ask ourselves two questions: 1) “Am I following God in a way that requires faith?” 2) “Do I do anything at all in my life that requires courage and confidence?”

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If you aren’t squirming a bit as you contemplate those questions, you are a better person than I. Since we are fellow sojourners in our quest to serve God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul, I’m going to go ahead and assume those questions made you as uncomfortable as they did me.

Do You Know Jesus?

February 21, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

Many have said knowledge is power. This isn’t exactly true. I like how Darren Hardy put it: “Knowledge isn’t power. What you do with it becomes powerful, but only if you do it consistently.” It’s not enough to know about Jesus. It’s not enough to know the Bible inside and out. If you never do anything with all your knowledge of God, it will never count for anything. You’ll still go to Hell, probably spouting Bible verses all along the way.

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In addition, if we are not consistently implementing what Christ has taught us, our lives will fall far short of what He designed and created us to do. He doesn’t want us to simply know about Him, or even to just believe in Him; He wants us to know Him. Do you know Jesus?

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Personal Transformation

February 14, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

We all want to make an impact for Jesus in this world. It is a mark of the true disciple. Perhaps you’ve been discouraged by your lack of effectiveness in making a difference for Christ. You wonder what is keeping you from doing more. I think Frank Viola has hit on one possibility. He said, “Our impact for Christ on others will be limited by our own personal transformation.”

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No matter how sincere our desire or intent, we will never exceed our own transformation into the image of Christ. We will never be able to replicate that which we have not yet duplicated. In other words, our impact will be limited by how much our own lives look like that of Jesus.

Enough Light

February 4, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

In this life, we can’t often see very far ahead. The future is a mystery, shrouded in clouds. It both beckons and mocks. We make our plans, but there is little over which we have any control. While it’s wise to plan, it is also prudent to remember few plans reach perfect fruition. The point of the planning is to become someone who can head in the proper direction and make necessary adjustments along the way.

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In our finite and physical bodies, we simply can’t see very far up the road ahead. Still, planning is at the forefront of most of our minds and has spawned a lucrative industry to help guide us. But we don’t need to see so far ahead. We only need enough light for the next step.

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Nothing to Fear

January 14, 2019 by Tim Sherfy

We spend too much of our lives in fear. We fear violence, terrorism, being disliked or ridiculed. We fear speaking up for justice or being the dissenting opinion in a crowd of peers. Some fear dying, while others fear being alone. Still others fear being forgotten, passed over, overlooked, or ignored. We fear financial markets and technology. There are so many things about which so many are afraid. This isn’t the way God designed us to live.

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He created us to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), with a spirit of boldness, not timidity (2 Timothy 1:7). You were created to love, not fear (1 John 4:18). Since God is for us, we know nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31). As long as we are living our lives in the pursuit and will of God, we have nothing to fear.

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