There are plenty of things we can see: trees, stars, mountains, oceans, people, penguins, our best friend's smile, elephants, skyscrapers, coffee beans, sunsets, and tulips, to name a few.
God created all those things. He made the natural world, as well as the laws that govern it.
But there are also things we cannot see: behind the breath of the wind, beyond the depths of the universe, beneath the foundations of love. Through Christ, all things were created—in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).
And while our mortal eyes might not be able to see the wind or infrared light or the Spirit of God, we still experience their effects. Because there’s more than what meets the eye. There’s more beyond this life.
Paul’s friends, the Corinthians, were experiencing great hardship. They were being hunted and persecuted because of what they believed about Jesus—that He was the long-awaited Messiah. Some were even facing death. But Paul encouraged them to endure such fleeting trials with a hope that’s beyond this world. He wrote:
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV
Human eyes can only see so much. Human minds can only grasp so much. But we can trust God with all that we cannot see or comprehend.
God is real. We might not be able to see Him today, with our physical eyes, but we can experience the effects of His life. Jesus sacrificed Himself so that you might live, and an abundant life awaits you—both on earth and in heaven. There is more beyond the here and now.
So, will you fix your eyes on what’s seen or unseen? Will you trust your five senses, or have the sense to trust in Him?
No One Else
Hannah desperately wanted a child, but she wasn’t able to conceive. Year after year, she was mocked, tormented, and left heartbroken because of her infertility.
Have you ever been there?
Maybe you have desperately wanted something: a godly marriage, a healthy body, a thriving family, a hard-earned title, a close community, a restored relationship. Maybe you’ve looked around at everyone else’s seemingly full lives and wondered why your arms were empty.
Eventually, after years of waiting, God answered Hannah’s prayer. And because of that, she was filled with wonder and worship, saying:
“No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2 NLT
Despite the excruciating years of longing and disappointment, Hannah knew there was no replacement for God. There’s no one else who’s able to create something from nothing. There’s no one else who holds the power of life.
There is no other Rock on which to build our faith.
There’s no one else who sees the worst of us and loves us anyway. There’s no one else who has compassion for our deepest longings. There’s no one else who can be trusted with the most tender part of our dreams. There’s no one else who’s there to guide, teach, and comfort—when it feels like everyone else has left.
There’s no one else who has the power to save.
Because God is holy, He is always good. Most of all, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Rest assured, there is no one else who’s more worthy of your trust, your respect, and your heart.
A Life of Thanksgiving
How thankful are you when you talk to God? The world around us generally doesn’t encourage thankfulness. We’re taught to look after ourselves in order to get what we think we deserve. But we’re not generally taught to be thankful.
And yet—Christians ought to be the most thankful people on earth because we have been given everything by God. James 1:17 reminds us that every good gift comes from God. This implies that God is always acting in kindness toward us.
Not only has God given us life and breath, but He has also offered us the free gift of eternal life. God made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus. That alone is more than enough for us to live in gratitude toward God.
That is why our hearts should be in a constant state of thanksgiving.
And yet, we often find ourselves complaining because things don’t go the way we want. We grumble because we don’t have the things we think we deserve. And the more that we complain, the more our hearts grow critical and bitter.
Thankfully, Psalm 100 gives us the antidote for grumbling and complaining: thankfulness. Thanksgiving is a spiritual habit that we have to intentionally develop through continual practice. We can practice by taking time each day to talk with God and to thank Him for all He has done for us. We can also practice by telling others how grateful we are for them.
So the next time you find yourself complaining or grumbling, take a moment to think about the love and goodness of God in your life. Instead of complaining, express how thankful you are for who God is and what He has given you. Keep a list of things you’re grateful for and add to it throughout the week. Watch as your heart and mind begin to be transformed by the simple act of thanksgiving.
The Mission of God in our Life
All of our lives are used for something. Most people spend their lives focused on growing a family, building their career, or amassing possessions.
While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation is so great that nothing on this earth is as important as God’s work.
Paul says that nothing in His life matters as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of God is not opposed to growing families or building careers. In fact, God desires for us to use those opportunities to faithfully accomplish the mission of God. We can raise families in the way of God, and we can tell our coworkers about God’s grace. Any place we find ourselves in can be an opportunity to accomplish the mission of God.
Take a moment to consider your own life and where you spend your time. Are you using every opportunity you have to spread the good news of Jesus? Does your life, like Paul’s, point toward God?
Consider a few ways that you can begin to change your perspective and live your life on mission for God.
For His Glory,
Pastor Mark Martin
Jesus is Lord!
Jesus is Lord
No matter how good you are, how hard you try, or how decent of a person you attempt to be, when it comes to following Christ, you can’t earn your way to God. You can’t do enough good things to tip the scales in your favor. You can’t buy, win, impress, or manipulate your way into salvation.
But Jesus has already purchased your freedom on a cross and offered it to you as a gift.
But you do have one job, as Paul describes in his letter to the Romans…
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NIV
Many people believe that Jesus was a real, historical person. Many people believe that Jesus was a genuinely good man. But the Bible says that even the demons believe there’s only one God (James 2:19).
Minutes before their deaths, two criminals hung next to Jesus on the cross. One of the criminals mocked Him, but the other one trusted in Him. Jesus told the one who trusted Him that he would soon be in Heaven. He received grace.
You see, we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s holy standard. We all need His grace, but we haven’t all received His grace.
So are you trying to be good enough for God? The bad news is, you can’t. You can’t ever be good enough on your own. But the great news is, Jesus has already made a way. However, you can’t simply know that He was a real person or think that some of His teachings were nice.
The most important question remains: Will you make Him the Lord of your life?
For His Glory,
Pastor Mark Martin
Sr Pastor
Bible Fellowship Church of Olney
We need another "Jesus Movement"
What We Can Learn from the Jesus Movement
I have heard all about you, LORD. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)
I came to Christ in 1970 during the Jesus Movement, which gave me a front-row seat to the Fourth Great Awakening in the United States—the most recent in our nation. Looking back, I remember five things that were part of a typical church service during that time.
First, there was a sense of expectancy in the service. No one was ever late for church because you couldn’t find a seat if you were. You came expecting God to work. You came with a sense of openness, anticipating what the Lord was going to do.
Second, the Word of God was always taught. That gave stability to us. In fact, I still have my Bible from those days. I marked it up—so much so that some of the pages are coming out of it.
Third, people participated in the worship. We effectively saw what we simply know as worship now. In the late 1960s, there were no electric guitars, for the most part, on church stages.
There were no drum kits. It was completely different culturally. Things we take for granted now didn’t exist back then. But people engaged in worship. They participated in it.
Fourth, believers brought nonbelievers to church, evangelistic invitations were extended, and people were coming to Christ. Every week there was the sense that God wants people to be saved.
Fifth, there was a belief in and a constant teaching of the imminent return of Christ. We believed that Jesus was coming back again.
The kids of the Jesus Movement are now grandparents. But just as in the 1960s, and specifically 1968, we have riots in the streets. We have racial unrest. We have a drug epidemic. There’s a sense of hopelessness in the air. We need another Jesus Movement. We need another spiritual awakening.
'O Lord , I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord , do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. ' Habakkuk 3:2
A New Day...
Last night we had our first digital “Prayer and Praise” get-together on Zoom as a church family. There was about a dozen log in and we communicated with each other through the internet. It’s not quite the same as gathering together but it was great seeing and hearing from the ones that came on board.
Because of the “Shelter in Place” order that is in affect, it would be very easy to become a recluse. Let me challenge you to avoid that. If you haven’t participated in one of these online sessions, let me encourage you to do so. Now more than ever, we need to stay close as a local church body and as the Body Universal.
It is also a great time, to kick start your spiritual journey to see what God wants to challenge you with.
Last night, I spend a few moments in Psalm 18. Interestingly enough, Psalm 18 is the first long Psalm that we come to and David speaks of God’s deliverance from all of his enemies and from King Saul. if you study David’s life, you will find that for all the battles that he was in, he was never injured. Pretty amazing for a man who made warfare his business. Now, David was not a perfect man but he was a man “after God’s own heart.” David begins Psalm 18 by telling the Lord how much he loved Him. I think that serves as a pretty good model for us as well. We should focus on telling God how much we love Him. By the way, how much do you love God? Interesting question isn’t it. You may never have thought about it or spend very much time thinking about it. But, I would challenge you to spend time thinking about and telling God how much you love HIm.
Until God allows us to see each other again, remember that I love you and look forward to the day that we can spend time together praising God with each other.
Pastor Mark
Taking the Land...
My family uses the “Youversion” Bible App to do our devotional reading. We have been group reading the Chronological Bible with Tara Leigh Cobb. It is published by D-Group and has an associated PodCast that goes along with it everyday. It is a great tool for group or individual Bible reading and I highly recommend it as a tool for your spiritual growth.
That being said, our reading took us into Joshua today. This is one of my favorite Old Testament books. The context indicates that the nation of Israel has wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they were disobedient the first time God directed them to the Promised Land and they didn’t go. Now, 40 years later, they stand on the banks of the Jordan River again facing the prospect of taking the land. Moses has been removed from the scene and the leadership mantle has been passed to Joshua. God told Joshua in 1:7-9…
“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success where you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
In a Joshua 1:6, God also says to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous…” Whenever God is moving us to the. next phase in His plan for us, we are always going to be fearful. It is expanding the box for us when we just got comfortable in the last box we were in. I am pretty certain that no one likes to have their boundaries or borders changed. We like the things that we can count on that have become the norm for us. Unfortunately, we live in a time when the “norm” is being redefined constantly. It seems that as soon as we think we have settled in, the boundaries change again.
The reason that God told Joshua to “fear not” is because Joshua’s trust was to be in God. You see, God never changes. He is constant. He said, “I am the Lord, I change not.” In these days of uncertainty, we need to keep our eyes on Him. He will never let us down.
Great words for today from God…
Remember, that I love you all and am praying for you. We will get through this and God will see us through.
Pastor Mark
My Refuge and My Fortress
My devotional reading concluded Deuteronomy today with the death of Moses. It also included Psalm 91 which is a prayer from the Psalmist in the midst of great times of trouble. It begins…
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Psalm 91:1-6)
This was written during a time when the Psalmist felt great stress over all the threatening things that were around him. Everyday, we are faced with new challenges. Yesterday, the Governor of Illinois issued the Executive “Stay at Home” Order that goes into affect today and initially lasts until April 7. What a dramatic change to our lives. People are feeling more stressed by the minute. Questions continue to arise: “Will I get the coronavirus?” “Will I lose my job?” “What about my family?” “How will this impact my financial well-being in the long-run?” And the list continues to go on and on.
It also raises the question, “What is going to happen next?” Let me be one of the first to assure you that it is going to be just fine. The church has faced difficult times before and God has always seen them through. The Psalmist declared his trust in a holy God as his refuge and fortress. He trusted in God because he knew that God would deliver him regardless of the circumstances. Now, more than ever, it is time to turn your attention to the God of your salvation. Go to His Word to seek Him. Reach out to Him in prayer to let Him know what you are feeling. And, trust Him even in the darkness. He is the Light.
The words of an old hymn ring very true:
“In times like these you need a Savior, In times like these you need an anchor; Be very sure, be very sure Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the One; This Rock is Jesus, the only One! Be very sure, be very sure Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!”
Great words for the times we live.
Remember, I love you and miss meeting with you but I am praying for you and am here for you…
Pastor Mark
When Confused and in Doubt...
There is an old adage that goes…
“When confused and in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!”
I am not sure what good this does. When you have expended all of your emotional energy, the issues or situation that caused your reaction is still there.
We have all been there at one time or another. Maybe your personal crisis or breaking point has been financial, health, family, employment, or the loss of a loved one. Maybe it has been one that I haven’t mentioned. But the common denominator in all of this is that we all have been touched at one time or another by a crisis.
We now are facing a common crisis as a nation. It may or may not touch us personally but I am sure that you have already faced fallout from it that has impacted your life. Maybe you have gone to the grocery store and found empty shelves or you have had your doctor’s or dentist’s appointment cancelled. Maybe, you have not been able to visit a friend or family member or your job has been placed on hold in the midst of everything going on. You are spending more time watching the news and cheering for the job that government is doing or firm in your conviction that it is just another thing that they have messed up. Maybe your hope has been peaked because they said they were going to send you some money…
But, my question to you today is… “Where is your hope?”
In the midst of all this, the Lord is still seated on the throne. Maybe this is a wake up call to our nation and to us…
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
I believe that this is a call for a national revival and repentance. But, if we as a country don’t get it, how about us as individuals and churches?
My devotional reading today contained this passage from Deuteronomy 30:15-18: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.”
Sounds like a lot of doom and gloom doesn’t it. But, I believe that it is time for us to quit playing at church and Christianity and rise up to really exalt the Lord in our lives today. Whatever we face, the Lord is still seated on the throne and He expects us to live everyday for Him. That means it affects the decisions that I make, causes me to want to spend time reading His Word, and spend time with Him in prayer for our nation, our president, our leaders, our church, and for each other.
If, there is anyway that the church can help you today, please call us. Also, don’t forget to be faithful to the Lord and the church in these difficult days.
Remember,
I love you and am praying for God’s blessings upon you during this very unique time in our lives.
Pastor Mark
Life has changed, how do we cope?
I follow several blogs each day. They contain great content and insights from people that I deeply respect. One, in particular, really grabbed me today and I wanted to share a portion of it with you today…
The section is called “Three Ways To Redeem Social Distancing” and it comes from the Denison Forum…
“Let’s close with ways the Christian faith can help. Spiritual disciplines patterned on the example of Jesus enable us to experience God’s presence in profound ways. Three are especially relevant to social distancing today.
PRAYER. Jesus began his day with prayer and solitude (Mark 1:35) and often prayed alone (Luke 5:16) and at night (Luke 6:12). But he also prayed often for others (cf. John 17:9) and with others (cf. Luke 9:28). He prayed according to the will of his Father (Matthew 26:39). And he taught us that we “should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).
How are you using these days to deepen your relationship with your Lord in prayer?
SOLITUDE. Scripture says that Jesus “would often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:16). He encouraged his disciples to “come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Setting aside a place for solitude follows his model as well (cf. Luke 22:39).
When will you next make an appointment for time alone with your Lord?
MEDITATION. This is focusing on a biblical passage, something in nature, or an event and asking God to speak to you through it. Scripture calls us to “meditate on [God’s Word] day and night” (Joshua 1:8; cf. Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:97). David told God, “I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night” (Psalm 63:6). He also told him, “I meditate on all that you have done” (Psalm 143:5).
Will you take time today to listen to your Father?
Corrie ten Boom noted: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.”
To whom will you look today?
Keep checking our NEWS section for update regarding the church and scheduling. In this uncertain days, keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t hesitate to reach out if you are struggling…
Loving you all in Christ,
Pastor Mark