Fall Creek Christian Church

"Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear." II Timothy 4:1-22 I remember very vividly my last summer as a staff member at the camp I had grown up attending. My time, in that stage of life, was coming to an end. I looked around, as many of my peers had already made their way home and said their good-byes, reflecting on all the memories. That time I was told was coming was almost there. Soon, I would no longer belong. As I faced the reality that time waits for nothing and no one, I felt challenged to make it a life practice to fully embrace every season and every moment God would give me. Timothy was given that same challenge by his mentor Paul over and over again. At the close of his last le...

"If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed." I Timothy 4:1-16 As the specific actions of the award winner are being read and described, I can't help but imagine being with them in those moments where life and death were separated by the thinnest of lines. I, inevitably tear up as I hear the words, "with no regard to their own life" followed by some remarkable expression of courage on behalf of others. As the Congressional Medal of Honor is placed around their neck, everyone there and those watching on television passionately applaud such a worthy recipient.  Paul left his protégé Timothy with a formidable task. His job was continue to lead the church in the city of Ephesus into right teaching, spiritual growth and steadfastness in their commitment to Jesus. In chapter 4, Paul told him to preach the truth and n...

  "Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!" Jeremiah 21 Watching the grandkids is an amazing blessing. The little ones require constant vigilance and energy. There is a reason we normally have our children when we are young! They do life at a head-spinning pace. I get a big kick out of their constant negotiations. "One more show, then bed." "A piece of chocolate, then green beans." "Two more stories, then bath, then snack, then bed." It's entertaining, but at some point, the negotiations end and they receive the terms of how it's really going to go.  King Zedekiah found himself in a real dilemma. The Babylonians were on their way to destroy Jerusalem and he was powerless to stop them. He decided to go into negotiations with God, "I'll ask your prophet for help God and then you do a miracle or something and se...

  "Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things." Jer. 5:20-25 As I looked at the credit card statement, I was thoroughly confused. Furniture? Restaurants in different states? I thought the credit card company mailed me the wrong statement. Nope, it was ours. A quick call to my sweetheart confirmed my suspicion. Our card was hacked. Someone robbed our card numbers and used them for a shopping spree. The card was immediately shut down and, thankfully, we were not obligated to pay the fraudulent charges. Even still, we felt some of those feelings of being wronged and violated. As Jeremiah recorded the words of God, it must have struck him as sad as it does us. First, God lays out the appropriate responses his people should have had towards him, respect, fear, and awe, but didn't. Then, he informs them of the consequences. They deprived themselves of blessings. They effectively robbed good things from themsel...