The Apostle Paul wrote these wonderful words to the church at Colossi:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Paul understood that every second, minute, hour, and day of our lives should overflow with gratitude for God’s goodness expressed to us through Jesus Christ. And he wasn't kidding when he wrote to the Colossians that their every word and deed should be done in thankfulness.

He must have known something that we often lose sight of. I think it is this: when our lives are immersed in gratitude to God, our attitudes become strengthened against to the natural ups and downs of life.

It is inevitable that downturns happen. Downturns upset our happy apple-carts. Downturns frustrate and anger us. But when we remember to live and breathe gratitude, it has a natural and positive effect on our attitude.

Not only this, but gratitude opens the floodgates of God’s grace. Think about it this way: God the Holy Spirit is grieved by our anger. Conversely, the Holy Spirit pours forth God’s presence and blessing in and through our praise and thanksgiving.

A few weeks ago I faced a number of very difficult challenges. Frankly, because of the circumstances, I found myself with a very negative and pessimistic attitude. In a wonderful "God moment" the Lord directed a friend to give me a call to tell me of her prayers for my family and me. She ventured to say that the Lord had directed her to encourage me to praise Him. I thought about it for a couple of minutes and gave up my stinky attitude and began to praise God. Immediately, things began to look remarkably different. Circumstances didn’t change - I changed. I also sensed God’s grace entering into every facet of my life. It was as if the clouds broke open and God’s sunshine burst through.

I want to encourage you: celebrate and enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving - feast and laugh and fellowship with your family. Then build thanksgiving into your life every day of the year. He is worthy of our praise.

PRAYER
Lord, I thank you for all of the wonderful gifts and blessing that you have given me. You are a gracious and good God who loves me with an everlasting love. Help me to cultivate a grateful heart so that even in the tough times You will find a word of thanks upon my lips.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 25, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am. This week, Ed Kaczmarek, Executive Director of the Fresno/Madera Youth for Christ, will share a message of Thanksgiving at our Youth Led Service

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: thanksgiving | thankfulness | gratitude
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

You may have heard these lyrics from John Lennon and The Beatles:

There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It’s easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

OK, yes, the Beatles’ song "All You Need is Love" is insipid nonsense. On the other hand, it represents the nearly total sentimentalization of the traditional hard-edged Christian concept of love. G. K. Chesterton, in his classic book, Orthodoxy, noted that the secularized modern world exploits and expends the moral capital of Christianity by pulling the great virtues of our faith apart and running off with them in various directions. These moral truths then become ideological half-truths and sappy cliches.

Look, for instance, at how the Beatles song uses - and abuses - the distinctly Christian virtue of love. Instead of it being the selfless giving of oneself for the sake of others, love becomes a sugary sentiment. This saccharin and sappy form of love denies that we need to repent of our sin or that sin even exists. Love loses its deepest meaning and becomes a superficial feeling.

However, true Christian love is not rooted in human feelings. Rather, it is rooted in the act of God to give His Son to die for our sins. Paul puts it this way:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Christian love first looks to God and not to man or to self. Christians don’t determine their love by what they feel for other people. Christians determine their love by what God has done for them. As I fathom God’s unimaginable love for me - in all my failed humanity - I am compelled to offer the same kind of self-giving love to others. To do this, I desperately need God’s grace and help.

PRAYER
First, Lord, today I thank you for your amazing love. Help me to focus on all that you have done for me and how you gave your Son to die for my sins and failings. Help me also to give love to others, even those who are unlovely. It is easy to love those people that are a blessing to me. Help me to love those who are not.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". I will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of MATURITY."

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: John+Lennon | The+Beatles | All You Need is Love | G. K. Chesterton | Orthodoxy | love as a Christian virtue
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness… 2 Peter 1:5-6

In 2 Peter 1, Peter admonishes us that if we are going to be mature and fruitful Christians, then we are going to have to make it a life-long commitment to add seven qualities to our walk with the Lord.

In verse six Peter speaks of godliness. The Greek word for Godliness is eusebeia which refers to piety, man’s honor, fear or reverence for God. Well, how do we do that? We do that through Worship. There two responses to worship: private and corporate. Private worship takes the form of prayers, confessions, silence and mediation on God’s word (Romans 12:1-2).

Corporate worship - assembling together in worship (Hebrews 10:24-25) - is an affirmation of what worshipers believe and an opportunity for mutual response to the gracious actions of God. Specific times and places are very important in regards to worship.

Here’s what A.W. Tozer says about worship:

What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.

It’s important for Christians to realize if they are going to mature in worship and contribute to the body of Christ, it takes a consciousness decision of setting a time and place to experience both private and corporate worship. To be productive for Lord we need the both; we just can’t have one without the other.

The bottom line is this the more I grow in my private worship, the more I grow and contribute in corporate worship. The more I grow in corporate worship, the more I realize His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness.

PRAYER
Lord, I really want to grow in my private and corporate worship. Yet, I admit that I allow busy-ness to creep into my life and rob you of what you deserve. Help me to keep my priorities straight so that I can give you my best! Today fill my heart and life with your spirit. Allow me to be led by your Spirit even when the going gets tough. May I be your servant of mercy and love in my world today.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". I will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of WORSHIP."

Blessings...

-Pastor Mike


P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below.


tags: godliness | self-control | A. W. Tozer
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

Why People Don’t Persevere
Paul offers the following insight about the final days before Christ’s return.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thes. 2:3)

Paul paints the picture of a general falling away from Christianity that will take place before the "son of perdition" is revealed (also known as the Lawless One or the Antichrist). A question to ponder is why do people fail to persevere "to the end" in the Christian faith? I think the answer can be found in Christ’s powerful parable of the seeds recorded in Matthew 13.

When Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to his disciples, he said this about the seed that fell on "rocky" soil:

The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. (Matt. 13:20-21)

We learn from this that there are many people who receive the gospel joyously but when "trouble or persecution" comes into their lives because of the Christian faith, they abandon it. Paul, therefore, notes that at the end of the age there will be an unusually large number of people who - because of the trouble and persecution associated with Christianity - will abandon the faith.

However, this begs a further question, why will so many people abandon Christianity? Hasn’t Christianity always been a tough "row to hoe" and didn’t Jesus warn his followers that they would face troubles and persecution? Why so many drop-outs in the last days? Here I will offer an opinion:

We live in an age of growing material wealth and prosperity. The average person living in the industrialized West lives with more affluence and leisure opportunities than the kings of any ancient era. My guess is that the Egyptian King Tut - if given the opportunity - would gladly have exchanged places with the typical middle-class Californian. We, of course, generally try to deny that we live such luxurious lives. We like to make a big deal about our bills, stress, and pace of life. However, in my view, this is merely a smoke-screen to hide from ourselves our own lavish living.

Please understand, I do not believe that our affluence is inherently a problem. It is a blessing from God. Yet, it comes with one huge downside problem: When people become accustomed to enjoying pleasures it is very difficult for them to endure the lack of them. Toil and difficulty are opposed to bodily pleasure. Consequently, toilsome things are a huge hindrance to a pleasure-centered life.

The point is this, with affluence people become very used to enjoying pleasures and entertainments and, therefore, they develop a certain delicacy of nature. Our great-grandparents used to call this an "effeminate nature." Today this terminology is associated with male homosexuals, but it used to be more generally applied to people (men and women) who weren’t mentally tough. People who were effeminate were seen as too delicate to go without pleasures and were unable to handle the toilsome difficulties of life. This type of person is mentioned in the Bible:

The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity… (Deut. 28:56)

Unfortunately, with increasing affluence, many people who profess to be Christians have grown accustomed to the pleasures of life and, therefore, they have developed very delicate and sensitive natures. They find it too hard to go without pleasure. This makes them ripe for the Devil’s picking. Simply put, in the era before Christ’s return, the Evil One will work to create a context in which people have to deny the true Christian faith in order to avoid the sorrows caused by the lack of pleasure. Those who profess Christ but have developed a delicate nature which is accustomed to the pleasures of life will find it easy to abandon the faith.

The antidote to pleasure-seeking is self-denial. Jesus told his followers that they need to deny themselves and take up their cross daily. Then, no matter how affluent the era, the Christian will be prepared to persevere in any trial. The Apostle Paul also said this:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13)

We are to be people of courage who are strong by nature and not delicate pleasure-lovers.

What do you think? You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: perseverance | persecution | anti-Christ | King Tut
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Karl Weatherly. Image #: 200366370-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness… 2 Peter 1:5-6

The Apostle Peter tells us that we are to add perseverance to self-control if we are going to be fully mature in Christ. Why? Well, the simple answer is, "Because 'stuff' happens." The biblical word for stuff is "trials."

In fact James tells us that in this life we will face "trials of many kinds" (James 1:2). Sorry, I know this is not the happy-face-Christianity that people love to hear about. However, this is a realistic and important truth.

OK...why trials and perseverance? Here is what James says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

The short version is this: in order to be grown-up Christians we must have perseverance, but, perseverance is something that is developed in tough times. There is no such thing as microwave maturity.

Bruce Charlton, a professor in the School of Biology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England is one of a growing number of researches that have confirmed that "grown-ups are more immature than ever." He noted for Discovery News in 2006 that this grown-up immaturity includes shorter and shorter attention spans, "sensation and novelty-seeking, short cycles of arbitrary fashion and a sense of cultural shallowness." (Read the full article HERE).

My point is this: contemporary society and even many Christians want quick and easy access to God’s blessings. However, God’s blessing of maturity doesn’t come easily. Maturity in Christ is developed slowly as we walk through life’s trials depending upon God’s grace to sustain us and strengthen us.

PRAYER
Lord, today I will "count it all joy" for the difficulties and challenges that you allow to come in my life because I know that as you sustain me by your grace, I can become the godly person you desire. Help me develop powerful perseverance.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". Pastor Mike will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of WORSHIP."

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: perseverance | self-control | Christian maturity | Bruce Charlton | University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001