In The Shelter of the Most High

We have been ordered to "shelter in place" and we have no idea just how long these circumstances will last.

Psalm 91 talks about our ultimate shelter in the Most High - the Almighty. This is what we need more than anything.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Duties & Our Rights

At WABC we discussed what we should do about the COVID-19 virus. Should we continue to have services, or should we cancel for the duration?

Initially, the Ohio health department directives said no groups over 100 in face to face meetings. We thought, we do not have nearly 100. We can meet and modify our behavior by not shaking hands, etc.

So we did. But then the directives went from 100, to 50 and eventually to 10. As the directives shut down all kinds of businesses and schools, it became obvious that even though they didn't mention churches, they really didn't think we should be meeting either.

So we decided to close. This message is a look at what the Bible says about our duties and our rights as Christians.

The video message that is linked to this is my first attempt at a YouTube video, so don't get your hopes up!

The Unleavened Life

In our modern society we have people on every imaginable diet - Vegetarian, Vegan, Atkins, Keto, Mediterranean and on and on...

The Israelites had many food restrictions in the Law. They also had a "Feast of Unleavened Bread." Not that yeast was a bad thing. But this feast was an annual extended memorial to train new generations about God's claim on their lives.

We need to live the Unleavened Life - constantly remembering that we are not continuing in the influences and corruptions of our old lives - but instead we are living a new life of commitment to Christ.

Buckle Up For Passover!

Why is January the first month of the year? Why not April or May? Who makes these decisions?

For the Israelites, at least, God designated the month of Abib as the first month and the 14^th day of the month as the Passover. This memorialized their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of their new identity as Israel.

Since Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb who purchased our deliverance from our slavery to sin and gave us a new life to live for him, we celebrate Easter as the high point of our year too!

Sermon In A Sack: Garden Tools

      Gardening can be very rewarding - eventually. But at first there is hard work to be done… plowing the soil, fertilizing, raking, marking rows, then planting the seed. Even when the plants come up there is weeding and watering and keeping the pests away. The reward only comes when you can harvest the crop.

      Evangelism is the same way. There is hard work to be done before there will ever be a crop to harvest. 

The Righteous & The Wicked

Our lives are a series of decision points and some are more important than others. The most important decision is what you will do about Jesus Christ. Will you repent of your sins and accept his righteousness as your own?

            

With Christ there is no room for half measures. He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24)

Robbing God?

There are many ways we might identify ourselves to someone else... occupations, relationships, hobbies, political parties, and so on. These are the answer to the question, "Who am I?"

Where does your relationship with Christ fit into that answer in your own thinking? Are you a mechanic who also believes in Christ? Or are you a Christian who also works as a mechanic? It makes a difference!

As followers of Christ, he and his kingdom should be our first priority, not just an afterthought. This is one reason people forget to give God his due in tithes and offerings. They don't think of it as a priority. They don't think of it when the get their paycheck and begin to pay their bills. Giving to God is an afterthought.

But God says, "You are robbing me!"