Fall Creek Christian Church

"...Will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world? ... Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:3-13 Every year in our house around September/October, our family gathers around for the annual launch of the gas burning fireplace. With just a few clicks of the starter, the pilot light ignites followed by a quick turning of the knob. The orange flames spring into action. For the next six months, that fireplace provides a magnetic warmth and glow that almost always has someone nearby held fast in its grip.    As Jesus was painting a rather grim picture of life as it nears the apocalypse, he spoke of a dissipating warmth. It wasn't a decrease in the temperature as the sun went down. It was a description of people's he...

"And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us."   I John 3:23-24 Recently, my son-in-law and I were taking on a home improvement project. A new vanity had been purchased and needed to be installed. On more than one occasion, we were tempted to complicate the task. Let's replace this and this and that. Wisely, we talked each other out of it each time. Keeping things simple, clear and concise enabled us to avoid a watery mess. John would have been right on board with our decisions that day. He wrote the same way. Simply. Clearly. Concisely. The last thing John wanted to do was to confuse his readers about what a relationship with God was all about. Believe in Jesus. Love each other. These two soul deep decisions put us into a g...

  "The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions." I Timothy 1:5-6 As a teenager in the 80's, I watched puzzled as Mr. Miyagi kept having Daniel LaRusso put wax on his cars in the movie Karate Kid. "Wax on. Wax off." He then told him, "Paint the fence. Up. Down." It wasn't until after days of this that Daniel ran out of patience and demanded to know why he was doing all this work. It was then Mr. Miyagi revealed that he had actually been teaching him karate defense moves. Purpose. It's a big deal. We want to know the answer to the why question. Paul wanted to be sure he had clearly communicated that all important answer to Timothy. Specifically, "Why keep giving me all these instructions Paul?"...

"This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression."  I John 4:10-12 Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The cooler evenings and the changing of the leaves. Good stuff. We have a tall tree in our front yard whose leaves are some of the most brilliant orange and red I've ever seen. The colors slowly turn until one day ... Wow! They hit full expression. Driving in one evening with sunset colors hitting the glowing leaves, my wife said, "Now, it's just showing off." Jesus' best friend, John, wrote his account of Jesus' life and his letters much later than the others did. He was the only disciple to see old age. His reflections and observations from that unique perspective led ...

"The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:7-8 Being a part of a family that loves to watch movies, we fancy ourselves as armchair movie critics. We all throw out our two cents about the plot, the pace, the acting, etc, but the thumbs up or thumbs down is disproportionately dependent upon the ending. Lousy ending = Lousy movie. Endings really stick with you. Peter, who wrote our verses for the day, had an ending in mind when he wrote this particular letter. It wasn't a movie ending though. It was the end of the world. That's right. The big finish of everything. That time when tomorrows will cease. He said it's coming soon. We need to be ready for it. How? Pray. Love. Wow! If we get those two things right, a great ending lies ahead for us. Peter wrote these words 2000 years ago, but here we still are. It...

"...for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ... I have learned the secret of living in every situation ... For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13 The other day I caught myself complaining about car repairs. ... "Brakes again!? I'll bet brake manufacturers and mechanics have a sweet deal worked out between them. Every time I turn around I'm paying for brake work!" About that time, I was reminded of the many people in our community who I've seen in their work clothes walking the miles down the highway just to get to work. Paul, while grateful for this church's support, wanted to teach them the secret to contentment, that being the strength of Jesus. It's easy to see everything we don't have, but very difficult to see that which we do have. We haven't embraced the secret yet. Paul tells us: Jesus is all we need. We think we need more. This world and our enemy work very hard to co...

"But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:5-6 The last time I took one of our cars to get its oil changed, the dipstick wasn't showing any oil on it at all. One of the crazy things about old cars is they burn oil. The oil change guy gave me a look that said, "They put these dipsticks in the engines so you can check and make sure your car isn't running low on oil ... dipstick." A low manhood moment to be sure.  In writing this letter to the Galatians, Paul wanted to make sure they were properly equipped to assess the condition of their faith. There were some false and misleading measurements being heralded among them and he needed to set the record straight. It wasn't rule keeping. It wa...

"But Jehoshaphat asked, 'Isn't there a prophet of the Lord around, too? I would like to ask him the same question. ... So Micaiah told him, 'In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountain, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, 'Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.' ... So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat led their armies against Ramoth-gilead." II Chronicles 18:6,16,28 After reciting my litany of aches, pains, and "things I used to be able to do", my doctor gave me her prescription. Eat healthier. Consume less caffeine. Exercise ... a lot. So, I went home grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, sat down on the lazy boy and complained about how she had no idea what she was talking about it. Fundamentally, my problem was not an information shortage. It was an unwillingness to do anything with the information I had. Our story today reveals a king suffering from that same malady I see in myself way too often. K...

“Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, 'Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?' And Jesus told him, 'You have said it yourself.'"  Matthew 26:25 "Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord."  Psalm 31:23-24 As I heard his words, spoken with genuine affection, my heart filled with life. In a very difficult context, this man stood up for me, defended me and protected me. I didn't ask him to do it. He just did and I will never ever forget it. Loyalty is a powerful force. It changes people. It is honored in virtually all cultures. Why? Simply put, it matters to us because it matters to our Creator. Jesus' "friend" and disciple, Judas Iscariot, for reasons known only to him, chose disloyalty. Betrayal is the antithesis of loyalty. Judas was cold-hearted. He played the part of t...

“while Jesus was having a meal in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and other outcasts came and joined Jesus and his disciples at the table. Some Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such people?" One evening during my youth ministry days, I remember staring at this kid showing up to youth group and I said, "Uh-O." He had these clothes that were torn and oddly assembled with a dog collar and matching wrist collars. It was his hair, however, that really captured my attention. He had a mohawk made of five to six ten inch high multi-colored spikes. "Better keep an eye on him", I said to myself. In time, I came to know him as one of the most Jesus-centered teenagers that I had ever met. Our verses today reveal that prejudice and "better than you" attitudes have been around an awfully long time. Jesus didn't prescribe to that type of thinking. He welcomed anyone. He didn't put up any artificial bar...

“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me." Ezekiel 33:7 I was warned several times as a young man to drive slower in snowy conditions. Embarrassingly, it took more than one trip into the ditch before I began to realize the warning was legitimate. Warnings are a big deal. Heeding or ignoring them can mean the difference between life and death. Ezekiel highlights in the verses for the day that God had even established the job of "watchman" for the sole purpose of delivering warnings. As God's prophet, Ezekiel was charged to issue spiritual warnings on God's behalf to God's people. Serious stuff. He was told later that if he didn't give the warnings, he would be held responsible and presumably dealt with accordingly. Who are the "watchmen" today? Who has the job of issuing warnings? Who is responsible to tell people, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, bu...

 " Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." I John  4:18 It's a great relief to have negative things expelled from our lives. After having my wisdom teeth removed, they went into dry sockets. Pain and misery were my only companions for nearly two weeks. There is no way to describe the elation when they finally healed up. I felt like jumping, dancing and doing flips for joy. The only reason I didn't is because I can't really jump, dance or do flips, but you get the point.  In our verse for the day, John tells us something truly remarkable. Fear has been expelled from the life of the one who truly embraces the love of God in Jesus. How does that happen? Fear involves punishment. If we still think we are going to be punished for our sin, we haven't fully understood what Jesus was doing on the cross. He took our punishment. Why? ...

“And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  Matthew  22:39 "To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper." Proverbs 19:8 There are times when I'm looking at my wife or my children listening intently to every word they're saying. I understand the meaning of the words, but I have no idea what they're trying to communicate. I'll give them my all too familiar blank look and say, "I have no idea what you just said or what it is you're asking me." After another pass or two, we normally break through to clarity and move on from there. I've noticed there are times when I'm reading the Bible where I have that similar experience of lack of understanding. The second greatest command of Jesus is one of those examples. It's not so much the "love your neighbor" part. It's the "as yourself" part. What does that mean? One of the great truths about the Bible is ...

“But Ruth replied,'Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.'"  Ruth  1:16 "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs  18:24    As I heard the person tell me what my friend had said, something inside of me shattered. I was crushed. For the first time in my young life, I felt the inimitable sting of betrayal. It was awful. That day, my innocent naivete' regarding the trustworthiness of friends dropped off a cliff. From then on, loyalty became a non-negotiable prerequisite for true friendships in my life. Naomi knew loyalty. Ruth refused to abandon her to face her fate alone. She stuck close, unwilling to yield her resolve even in the face of Naomi's order to leave. As a result, both women were blessed. A family tree of character and honor was established that soon led...

" Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)   But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, 'Why does he eat with such scum?  When Jesus heard this, he told them,  ' Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners not those who think they are already good enough'" Mark 2:15-17 Looking in from the outside is not a fun place to be. Hearing of an activity that everyone else went to, but you weren't invited ... Walking up to a group talking and they immediately stop and disperse ... Entering a church only to receive the, "What are they doing here?" looks ... It doesn't feel good at all. The verses for today reveal that the "holier than thou" attitude has b...

"But I say, 'don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. ... You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust, too" Matthew  6:39 , 43-46   I recently encountered what I perceived as disrepectful behavior towards me. I like to think I have a pretty thick skin and can let things roll off fairly easily, but this situation sparked me. The flames of pride and ego were stoked. I'm more than a little embarrassed to admit it, but I've struggled with feeling like I don't care if I ever see that person again. Given that heart reality, it's no wonder that I would encounter this teaching of Jesus at this particular time. There are some tea...

"I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."  Hosea  10:12     Living in a neighborhood surrounded by cornfields has given me the opportunity to witness planting and plowing up close and personal. It's obvious even from my observer position that a bountiful harvest doesn't just happen. The soil is worked. The seed is planted. The plants are protected from bugs and weeds. Then, when the rainwater falls and the sun shines, the crops burst from the ground as if reporting for roll call. It's truly remarkable. God, through his prophet Hosea, was giving the people of Israel the answer to the question, "Where's the love?" The crop of love was missing. Why? They had neglected righteousness. They allowed their hearts to remain hard. It was time for some planting and plowing. The Lord of...

"   The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.  There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves. "  Hebrews  4:12-13 The time had come. I was done being "friends." I was twenty years old and ready to head out into the future with a beautiful young woman on my arm. I was convinced that she was the one, but was  she  convinced? So, with my heart in my hands, completely exposed, I told her how I really felt about her. She responded with, "I think you should ask someone else out." ... Ouch! My poor little heart was broken! I put myself out there only to be crushed. Fortunately, however, in time she decided that I was the one for her too. After twenty six ye...

"Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends."  Philippians 4:1  I used to watch the Chicago Cubs play baseball when I was a kid. I grew up near Chicago and WGN was one of the few channels we had so Harry Carey and the Cubs were my team. Their inability to win a world series title has now spanned over 100 years, the last being 1908. I don't watch the Cubs anymore. There are too many other channels these days and frankly, I've received no encouragment to remain true. Call me a fair weather fan if you will, but seriously ... 106 years?! Paul, in closing his letter to his dear friends, was thinking about remaining true as well. His concern was in regards to something infinitely more significant than baseball. He was talking about their commitment to Jesus. "Stay true." The conversation could have continued along these lines, "Remain loyal. Don...

"His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure."  Ephesians 1:5  I am a huge fan of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. What a fantastic idea!  If being too thin was my ailment, the cookie dough ice cream would be my daily medicine.  I treasure in the deepest parts of my heart fall walks in the woods with my sweetheart ... the cool air, the crunch of leaves under our feet.  Priceless.  The beauty of God's creation holds me spellbound ... thundering waterfalls, the brilliantly lit Milky Way, the melodic ocean waves, majestic mountains, and the energetic rivers that roll through the landscape. Pleasure.  We were made to enjoy this mystery called life.  Why? As it turns out, the One, in who's image we were created, also feels and experiences pleasure.  So, what makes his list?  Our Bible verse for the day reveals one of them - our a...