focus

Stay Ready

June 22, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

If we want to be ready for the Lord’s return, we must be diligent to stay ready every day of our lives. To be caught unaware when Jesus comes back should terrify us all. It’s easy for us to shake our heads at the disciples who fell asleep while keeping watch as the Lord went off by Himself to pray in the garden (Matthew 26:36-46), but are we any better?

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Are we not even more guilty of falling asleep as we await the Lord’s return? If we are not focusing our lives on serving Christ and doing the things He commands us to do, we are not staying ready. We are simply going through the motions and living as if His return is not imminent. Jesus could return before you finish reading this post. He could come before I finish writing it! If He does, will He find us ready?

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The Remnant of God

April 24, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

The beauty of God’s plan is He promises there will always be a remnant who will remain faithful to Him (Ezekiel 6:8-10). No matter how dark the world becomes or how dire the circumstances that emerge, the Church of Christ will never be defeated (Matthew 16:18). The light that has come into the world through Jesus will never be extinguished (John 8:12). My question is, “How big will that remnant be in our generation?”

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The more I learn and the closer I draw to Christ, the more concerned I become about the multitudes who profess Jesus with their lips but deny him with their lives. I see no evidence that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is part of the remnant of God. There are simply far too many walking down the path of “doing church” and “being Christian” than could ever squeeze through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14).

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Creeping Darkness

March 27, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

There is a creeping darkness invading the Church. Yes, evil is encroaching on cities and countries around the world, but of utmost concern is the way it is taking up residence within the Church. The worst part is this is happening on our watch. Less than five hundred years ago, brave men stood up and refused to bend to the perversion of the gospel. From these men, among other movements, came the reformation, the puritans, and the Great Awakening.

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They turned and sought the Lord. Neither these men nor the movements in which they involved themselves were perfect. The result, however, was a return to the scripture and the King of kings, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Look at us now. Where is the conviction and power of the Church? We have squandered and shamed those who came before us by falling asleep at the wheel.

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Running the Race

March 6, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth contains the familiar passage where he compares living life for Christ with running a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It’s a great analogy not only because the road we travel is long but also because of the discipline it requires to stay on the path. Any form of athletics is by its nature a competitive process.

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Everyone who competes wants to finish first, but only one can. In some events, like a marathon, participants are content to only finish, regardless of winning or losing. Both hold lessons for us. No one runs a race without a goal, and no one achieves their goal without putting in a lot of hard work before the race ever begins.

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Making People Uncomfortable

February 27, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Are You making people uncomfortable with the way you live? That may seem like an odd question until you realize Jesus made a habit of making those around Him uncomfortable. If we want to live like Jesus, shouldn’t we be less concerned with having everyone like us and more concerned with making people uncomfortable when we interact with them? I’m not certain where the goal of getting along with everyone came from, but it’s ridiculous if you think about it.

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We are called to stand out and be different (1 Peter 2:9). We are also called to be bold and proclaim the name of Jesus (Matthew 10:32; 1 Corinthians 16:13). By obeying those two commands alone, there is no way we are going to be the “go along to get along” kind of people. When we choose Jesus, we choose to ruffle more than a few feathers by the way we live.