The Weekly Epistle 9/25/19

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  You have likely heard this said or found out the hard way that what you thought was this amazing deal ended up in disappointment.  
 
It reminds me of a 42-year old woman from South Bend, Indiana who was approached by a man who offered her a great deal on a brand new flat-screen TV.  For a mere $300 she could take this TV home with her on that same day.  She gave him the $300 and he moved the TV from his trunk to hers and she drove away with her TV set that was bubble wrapped, had Wal-Mart stickers on it, and even came with a remote control.  When she got home and unwrapped it, she discovered it was an oven door.  It was too good to be true!  
 
Those kind of scams and offers by advertisers leave us suspicious and skeptical about anything that seems too good to be true.  Is that an obstacle for some to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ?  Does the gospel seem like it is too good to be true?  It is a free gift.  There isn’t anything you can do to earn your way into heaven.  It has been done for you through Jesus Christ.  Too good to be true?  
 
Consider Gods promises.  Does God advertise more than He can deliver?  Is the promise to never leave us nor forsake us, too good to be true?  Is the promise that nothing can ever separate us from His love too good to be true?  Is the promise that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness too good to be true?  Is the promise that these failing bodies of ours will be transformed into glorified bodies too good to be true?  His promises of faithfulness even when we are unfaithful, that He will not treat us as our sins deserve, that He will not forget the work we have done for Him, and that He can even use evil for good in our lives are all true.  And what He says He will do, He will do. 
 
Church, embrace His promises.  Write them on note cards and take them with you through the day.  Put them on your phone, think of them often, and pray them back to our Lord.  D.L. Moody put it this way, “God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
 
In the book of James, chapter 1, we are promised that if we ask God for wisdom, he will give it to us…generously!  The study in James began this past week.  If you missed it, you can jump in this Sunday at 9:00.  It meets in room 102.  
 
There has been an excellent response to help with the Pumpkin Fest.  One way you can still help would be to provide candy for us to hand out the church’s booth.  Any candy left over will go towards the Trunk or Treat held at the church on Halloween night (October 31).  I hope you are already thinking about how you can decorate your car for that night.  The number of people that have visited our trunk or treat has grown each year, so we need more and more cars to be added.  Sign-ups for this will be coming soon.  Also, if you have not gone through our network spiritual gifts training, I would encourage you to attend on November 2 & November 9 from 9:00-noon.  You need to sign up for this and get your book to get started on this incredible journey of discovering the right fit for you in the right place of ministry.
 
Serving our promise-keeping God, Pastor Brian