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  • Pastor Todd Weston's Blog

RLA Pastor's blog

The Common Cold

2/25/2014

 
It is my belief that moments after God announced the curse in Genesis 3, Adam was seized with sinus congestion strong enough to block a major interstate highway and a fit of sneezing that sent animals scurrying for cover throughout the Garden of Eden.  I’m sure he later shared the new found “blessing” of the common cold with Eve.  It was his way of repaying her for giving him the apple, or whatever type of forbidden fruit it may have been.

That is my condition as I attempt to write this article through itchy, watery eyes.  I have enough medications in my body to blast a hole through a solid steel wall, and yet my congestion remains.  And as for the sneezing, it’s been quite impressive.  Just ask the neighbors.  And forget sleeping at night.  It’s more like drifting in and out of varying states of delirium.  

You know how it is when you get sick.  There’s the desperate search for the guilty party, so you trace it back to the person who started it all.  As for me, I caught my cold from Sheri, who caught it from Tori, who caught it from my daughter-in-law Jamie, who caught it from my grandson Mason.  Of course, I cannot be angry with my grandson.  So I have to find (as they say out West) the low-down-no-good-guilty-varmint who passed the cold along to him.

Isn’t it ironic that with all of today’s technology no one has found a cure for the common cold?!  They can treat it, but they cannot cure it.  While the common cold is a widespread problem, it is one of the least of our problems.  A week or two and it’s over.  There are other difficulties facing us today that are of much greater complexity and consequence.  If we cannot cure the common cold, how are we ever going to tackle these issues?

The bottom line is that Jesus is our only hope.  “Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.”  Rather than trusting in ourselves, it’s time we trust God.  As one preacher put it, “He is the key to knowledge, the wellspring of wisdom, the doorway of deliverance, the pathway of peace, the roadway of righteousness, the highway of holiness, the gateway of glory.  You can trust Him!”

In the good times and the bad, trust God!  And now if you will excuse me, I feel a sneeze coming on.

Pastor Todd Weston



Strong Faith

2/18/2014

 
There is an interesting contrast that appears in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.  This contrast was highlighted Sunday night by our guest speaker, missionary Jeff Dove.  Hebrews 11 is commonly referred to as the “faith chapter.”  It tells of many heroes and heroines of the Bible and what they accomplished by faith.

The contrast appears in vv34 and 37 where we are told that by faith some were delivered from the sword while others were delivered to the sword.  If given the choice I opt for deliverance from the sword.  How about you?  No one likes to suffer and go through hard times.  And it’s wonderful when God miraculously delivers us from trouble.

The Bible is full of stories of deliverance.  We love to read the stories of Joseph delivered out of prison, Israel delivered out of Egypt, and Daniel delivered out of the lion’s den (just to name a few). Those are great Bible stories that build our faith!

But what about those in Hebrews 11 who were delivered to the sword?  These must have been people with defective faith.  Surely, these were the failures of the Bible.  No, they are listed right along with the others in the faith chapter.  Hebrews 11:39 says, “And all these…obtained a good testimony through faith.”  Those delivered from the sword and to the sword were all given a passing grade.

The lesson of the contrast is this:  Faith has a twofold victory.  In one sense it conquers.  In the other, it endures.  It takes strong faith to endure the ordinary and extraordinary hardships of life.  It takes strong faith to keep believing when it seems the answer is nowhere in sight.  In God’s estimation of things, such endurance in the midst of trouble is not failure.  It’s victory!

There will come a day when our faith becomes sight and all our troubles are past.  Until then, we live by faith.  Sometimes that will mean conquering.  Other times it will mean enduring.  Either way, may our faith be strong enough to stand all the tests of time.

Pastor Todd Weston



Laish

2/10/2014

 
The name of the city was Laish.  It was located in the territory possessed by the northern tribe of Dan.  The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” was a familiar saying in Israel.  It meant from the farthest point northward (Dan), to the farthest point southward (Beersheba).  Dan was originally given territory just northwest of Judah.  But the original allotment proved too small.  So five Danite spies were sent farther north to locate additional land.  That’s when they stumbled upon the careless city of Laish.  

Lazy Laish.  That’s how Judges 18:7 describes the city.  With no apprehension of danger, the people lived in what proved to be lethal indolence and ignorance.  What you don’t know can hurt you.

According to Judges 18:7, Laish was ill-governed.  The Bible says, “There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything.”  The people of Laish resisted restraint.  They resented authority.  “Live and let live,” was their motto.

The text also reports that Laish was ill-guarded.  “They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.”  Cut off from their Syrian neighbors to the north by Mount Hermon, and from the Sidonians to the West by the Lebanon range, the city of Laish was totally isolated.  But since their city was located along the springs that fed into the Jordan River, they had a false sense of safety and security.  They were secure in their isolation.

All of that changed in Judges 18:27 when the enemy launched a surprise attack on Laish, killed the inhabitants, and burned the city.  Laish was an easy target because along with the careless attitude of the people, v28 says, “there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone.” They cared for nobody and therefore, in their hour of crisis, nobody cared for them.  No one even knew when Laish went down.

Satan loves it when Christians fail to connect with a local church.  He is delighted by Christians who adopt a “go-it-alone” attitude.  The enemy zeroes in on those with no ties to the Body of Christ.  Living far from the fellowship of believers and with no apprehension of pending danger, these isolated saints become easy pickings.

There’s a reason why the Hebrew writer told us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some (Hebrews 10:25).  Don’t be like those who pride themselves on having no ties with any church.   To be a churchless Christian is not only unbiblical, it’s not safe.  Run from Laish-minded Christians.  Immerse yourself in the fellowship of God’s people.  Hang out with believers who love Christ’s Church.  It’s the best place to be.




Pastor Todd Weston 



Pentecost

2/3/2014

 
I thank God for my Pentecostal heritage.  By the phrase “Pentecostal” I am talking about the movement within Christianity that emphasizes a direct personal power-encounter with God through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-4).

My paternal grandmother came into Pentecost at the old Southside Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri when my father was just a young child.  My maternal grandparents came into Pentecost while pastoring a Methodist church in Kansas.  As Spirit-filled Pentecostals they joined the Kansas District Council of the Assemblies of God and served in pastoral and evangelistic ministry for over fifty years.

I guess that makes me what you call a third-generation Pentecostal.  I believe in it as much today (if not more) as when I first received the baptism as a child.  I value the person and work of the Holy Spirit in my life and in the church, and I firmly believe that the events described in the book of Acts are meant for Christians today.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit made a difference in the lives of the first century believers.  It still makes a difference.  What effect does the Baptism in the Holy Spirit have in the life of a Christian?

1.  It Energizes Our Life

Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”  (Acts 1:8a).  The most notable result of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is power.  At the baptism our lives are energized with the dynamic, supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

2.  It Enhances Our Convictions

Holiness is the outstanding characteristic of the third person of the triune Godhead.  He is the Holy Spirit.  In Romans l:4 Paul used the phrase, "the Spirit of holiness."  The Holy Spirit confronts sin in our lives and enables us to live in obedience to God.

3.  It Empowers Our Witness

Pentecostal power is given to us for a reason - to empower us to be effective witnesses.  Jesus went on to say in Acts 1:8b, "And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  

As Paul asked the Ephesian disciples, I ask you, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2)  If you have not yet received this Pentecostal blessing, then I encourage you with Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).  Seek and you shall receive, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).




Pastor Todd Weston

    Pastor Todd

    Lead Pastor
    River of Life
    Assembly of God

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