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It’s Sunday again, already. It amazes me how time flies. Days go by in a blink. Weeks seem to take no longer than a deep breath. I know that it’s a function of age, the old I get the quicker time moves. It must be part of God’s master plan; somehow tied to the aging of the body. Both phenomena designed to be a constant reminder that we don’t have unlimited opportunities left. We need to take every shot we get at doing the important things. Did you do anything really special yesterday? Will you do something of eternal significance today? Here are some suggestions. Tell someone you love them. I know it’s Valentine’s Day on Monday; but I’m not talking about that special person that God has given you. We don’t, often enough, tell all the great people in our lives how we feel.  Tell someone you love that you do, someone you haven’t told in a while. Forgive someone. We all walk around with unforgiveness: that disease that focuses on others but hurts no one but us. If you want to do something special forgive someone. Do a secret good deed. All around us are folks with […]

Matthew 13:24-30 (New King James Version) The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares 24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” This is a parable about the church. It is my wife who pointed out to […]

  We’ve been told that it “takes a village” to raise a child. I don’t think that’s right. I believe it takes a family. Over many years we have moved the responsibility for the spiritual training of children from the family to the church and it’s not working. The statistics regarding the loss of our youth are overwhelming. George Barna, Josh McDowell and others have statistics stating that 85% of teens raised in evangelical churches in America stop attending church in their late teens and early 20’s.  Other studies show we are losing them much earlier. I recently viewed a video which makes a strong argument that our current methods of training our children is at fault. In essence, the argument is that spiritual training is the responsibiity of the family, particularly the father. Our current system of age divided training places the responsibility  on youth pastors and sunday school teachers. The parents are relieved to believe that someone “more qualified” is taking care of this responsibility for them. We, as parents, grandparents and great grandparents, come to believe we are filling our responsibility if we are putting the kids “in Sunday School” and are really super if we […]

Salvation and Lordship Colossians 2:6-10 (New King James Version) 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Probably nothing causes as much confusion in the church as does salvation and Lordship. We are so eager to have folks make a decision for Jesus that we often over simplify for a short term benefit and create a long term problem. From the beginning a new Christian needs to understand forgiveness of sin and freedom from sin. After all, when a person is saved, his sins are forgiven and, he’s given new life, but sinful thinking and conduct,  characteristics of the old life, hang around. It confuses the new believer and can make him doubt his […]

Philippians 4:6-7 (New King James Version) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Are you ever anxious? Based on the proposed cures, there must be a national epidemic of anxiety. We are promised that vacations will sooth it, gyms promise to sweat it out of us, pills will make it vanish,  and personal improvement gurus promise they have the secret of eliminating it. The truth is that the circumstances of our lives promote heartache, burdens, or trouble.These can not be avoided. However, we can have unshakeable peace during anxious times.  The key is to shift our focus from the scary problem onto God. Serenity can’t be manufactured—it’s a gift from our heavenly Father. The best response to anxiety is prayer. Focus on God puts our problems in perspective while connecting us with the one who has the answers and the power to make them real in our lives. Don’t be anxious, be blessed. Nick 

Hebrews 6: 18-20We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline (an anchor), reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. We like to believe we are pretty well anchored. That it will take a major life storm to get us off course. I found today that’s not true, at least not for me. What should have been relatively minor events of the day, today left me upset and shaken.  There is a real danger in not dealing with the minor irritations that come every day, as they occur. If we fail to do that, they are piling up somewhere and will jump up and bite us when we least expect it. It’s a good thing that the sureness of our foundation and the tightness of our anchor lines are tested. Without such tests we don’t know we need more faith, to hold on harder, to give Him more control. Remind yourself […]

Blessed Assurance.  “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians1:6 Do you have a “know-so” salvation? What I mean is, do you know that you are saved and have the assurance that if you died tonight, you’d spend eternity with the Lord in heaven? Many folks don’t have that assurance, and in some cases it is not a spiritual problem. It is a psychological problem. They cannot accept the fact that God has accepted them. You would think that these folks feel they have sinned too grievously to be forgiven and accepted by God and this is true for some. But for many more it is a question of pride. They can’t let go of the idea that their acceptance is based on what they do. They have to be good enough. Deep down they believe they are better than average, maybe better than most. It’s a dangerous way to think. They often confuse the issue and rail against a “once saved always saved” theology. But that’s a red herring. The issue is now whether you can lose your salvation, but whether you can know you are saved […]

Our subject for Sunday night’s Being the Church session is Authentic Fellowship. Church fellowship is a step above what is available in the world. How is the church called to be different from the local social club? Christian community often is confused with mere cordiality, courtesy, or sociability, says Howard A. Snyder. As such, it can be not much different from the Kiwanis Club or a neighborhood potluck. But genuine Christian fellowship is a gift of the Holy Spirit, centered on Jesus, which becomes a living witness to Christ and the gospel in the world. Why can authentic Christian fellowship be so difficult to develop? What are the markers of genuine Christian fellowship? How can it be deepened and strengthened? These are the questions we’ll be asking and discussing in this study. I know it’s Superbowl Sunday but do you really care who wins this game. The Saints ain’t playing. The Saints will be in church and the sorta Saints can record the game. See you there. Nick Sigur