This Weekend's Message: Flashback

One of my college friends did a wonderful and creative thing when he proposed to his girlfriend. When he took her out for the evening, he took her from location to location for several hours. Each location they visited – a restaurant, a park, an outdoor mall – had some significance to their relationship. He took her to the location of their first date, to the location that they officially began their relationship, to the location where he first told her that he loved her, and so on. The familiarity of these places must have made his girlfriend increasingly suspicious that something significant was happening. Each connection with the past suggested that history would repeat itself and something big would happen. And, of course, it did.

This Sunday, we will look at Jesus feeding the five thousand. But this passage is about much more than Jesus simply providing a meal for a multitude. It is about Jesus systematically doing things that were familiar and nostalgic for the people of Israel. Throughout the passage He brings to their minds significant moments in their national history. And He behaves in a way that would have reminded them of one of their most beloved heroes, Moses. Just as big things happened before, something big was happening again.

Dan

One Voice, United in Prayer

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

On May 1, 2014, LBF will once again gather to observe the National Day of Prayer. My hope is to gather several Upland Churches together in one location and pray together for the needs of our nation and our cities and us.

Why gather? Why pray? It was our first President, George Washington, who said, “The twin pillars of morality and religion are essential to support a successful society.” And it was John Adams, our second president, who said, “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity.” 

But it is not hard to see that today our nation has drifted far away from the statements of our first two presidents. Are we a Christian nation? I would say “no.” We are a nation of tolerance towards all religions with a growing hostility towards Christianity and a removal of our religious freedoms.

So what should we do? I think we should gather to pray. And when our nation marks out a specific day to gather and pray – I think it would be good to take advantage of this time and participate with millions of people around our nation and pray.

God says He saw the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). God is omnipresent and there are no accidents because all things are according to the guidance of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Do we believe that? Do we believe it when tragedy strikes or we see a nation falling far from God? Do we believe that God is sovereign like David believed? Check out David’s words in 1 Chronicles 29:10-12.

With all of this in mind I want to encourage us to not let our prayers diminish. Instead, let us come together with a strong belief in God and His love and provision for our nation, our city, and our personal lives. Let’s come together to pray and send God our requests as a gathered church and maybe a gathered community.

Let me end with the words of Paul: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because  you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Hope to see you on Thursday, May 1 for a time of prayer at 7 p.m.!

Hope Matters Takes Off, Needs Computers

Update on William & Michelle Kiprop and Hope Matters

By Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator

Last fall I wrote about a new ministry that LBF missionaries, William and Michelle Kiprop, are developing in Kenya. The Lord has been opening many doors for this ministry, and I wanted to update you on what’s happening.

The purpose of Hope Matters is to promote community development through sustainable health, agricultural, and educational programs among communities in Kenya. This will provide holistic care for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. It’s all about helping these precious people meet some basic yet critical needs in their lives to bring them hope and enable them to raise their families. We are so thankful for the vision William and Michelle have in reaching out and bringing help to many.

We praise God for His provision of a ministry vehicle that will be used as a community health vehicle and an ambulance. This is so exciting as many, many lives will be blessed as Hope Matters reaches out to remote villages with training and health care programs. And lives will be saved as they are transported to hospitals in  this vehicle. 

Hope Matters is also currently in negotiations to purchase between three and five acres of property for a small hospital as well as their headquarters. Much has been accomplished these past months, and we thank God. In the midst of all the planning, negotiating, looking for the right vehicle, etc., Michelle has continued going to different villages to care for the needs of the people. 

Partnering with Hope Matters through prayer: We can be an important part of Hope Matters through prayer. Please pray for William and Michelle as they move forward with this amazing ministry. Pray for wisdom in the decisions that need to be made, and for strength in accomplishing what is before them. Pray for the many financial needs that are required in starting up a new ministry, and in purchasing property, and in building a hospital. It seems like a huge mountain and yet God is able to provide for every need. Pray also for the funds needed to transport a container filled with donated medical equipment that will equip the hospital and provide much needed care for many lives. Be praying for the ongoing community health care that Michelle does in surrounding areas. 

Also, there is a need for two or three desktop computers. They can be purchased here and transported in the container with the medical equipment that will be shipped to Kenya. These computers are just as important in running the ministry as the medical equipment. If you would be interested in learning how you can specifically help with the purchase of a computer, email michelle@hopemattersintl.org. This is a tangible way we can help. Also, be sure to check out Hope Matters’ website: hopemattersintl.org. This will give you a better understanding of their vision and what’s ahead.

Thank you for partnering with LBF and Hope Matters. You are impacting many lives – around the world – for eternity.

This Weekend's Message: Overhaul

Sometimes a tune-up is not enough. There are times when a problem is deep enough that surface improvements just don’t cut it. Sometimes a complete overhaul is the only solution.           

When we face problems—with our cars or with our personal lives—we seldom rush to take extreme measures. If possible, we try first to address our problems at minimal cost to ourselves. We always prefer a tune-up to an overhaul. We always prefer minor improvements to dramatic measures. The problem, however, is that we often opt for tune-ups when an overhaul is needed. And when we do this, we only delay the inevitable. The problem will persist until we finally take the plunge and opt for the overhaul.
           
We all have problems. We typically think we just need a new job, a little more money, a new relationship, or more will power. In other words, we just think that we need a tune-up. The fact is, though, that our problems go much deeper. Tune-ups will only help us so much. If we are looking for a real solution, we need an overhaul.
           
During His time on earth, Jesus did not simply offer people tune-ups. He didn’t give advice on minor improvements in order to smooth out our already-decent lives. He came to offer a complete overhaul—new life—to people who are broken, guilty, and in pain. This Easter at Life Bible Fellowship Church we will talk about the message of Jesus, which, rather than being about quick-fixes and simple solutions, offers us new life from the dead.

Dan

Guilty Victims

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching

Who Gets Compassion?

Several months ago I was listening to talk radio. The subject was an athlete who had reached the top of his sport, and then began to make a series of self-destructive decisions. One of the people on the program said that they felt sorry for him. The other quickly retorted that he felt no compassion for the athlete. After all, he had made his own decisions and now he was living with the consequences.

This interchange struck me. How do we decide who gets our compassion? 

Many of us follow the trajectory of the second person in the above conversation. If we consider someone to be a victim, then we feel that they deserve our compassion. Victims of domestic abuse deserve our compassion. Victims of financial scams deserve our compassion. Victims of unfaithful spouses deserve our compassion. 

On the other hand, though, those who we consider to be guilty (as opposed to victims) do not often get our compassion. We seldom give compassion to those who go to prison for theft or violence. We seldom give compassion to those who lose their families because they are abusive or unfaithful. We seldom give compassion to those who suffer physically because they made choices to drink, smoke, or use drugs.

Victims get our compassion. Guilty people don’t.

One or the Other?

Here is the problem with this approach: Our guilt and our victimization tend to blend together. No one is completely free from guilt and no one has completely avoided victimization. We all have sin and we all have pain. In fact, often our sin is driven by pain that has been caused by others.

Scripture reflects this reality. It teaches that God sent His Son to be our savior. If we need a savior, then this means that we have a problem from which we need to be saved. Far from teaching a simple view of humanity, it teaches that our problems are complicated. We are saved from our pain and we are saved from our guilt. 

Many of us look in the mirror and see a victim. Scripture affirms that there is truth in this. Jesus saw this in the people He came to save, as Matthew 9:26 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The writer of Hebrews affirms our need to be saved from how Satan victimized us in Hebrews 2:14-15: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

When we look at ourselves, it is accurate to see that we have been victimized by Satan, by the world, and by other people. But the truth is that we are not simply victims. We cannot hide behind the sins of others. We have brought about our own debt of guilt. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The angel Gabriel prophesied about Jesus in Matthew 1:21, “He will save his people from their sins.” We aren’t simply good people who have fallen on hard times. We are sinners who have rebelled against God and hurt others. We don’t simply need relief. We need forgiveness.

Here is the good news: God does not require us to be guilt-free in order to gain His compassion. He chases us with His mercy even when we are filled with guilt and rebellion. As Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Compassion Received, Compassion Given

Once we embrace the fact that God gives His compassion to guilty victims, we are set free in powerful ways. We don’t have to hide our sin or pretend that it doesn’t exist. We are free to approach God, even in the midst of our guilt and shame. He still has compassion on us. And we also don’t have to be ashamed of the fact that we have pain from the world, from Satan, and from other people. God does not shrug His shoulders at this pain. He sent His Son to save us from both our pain and our guilt. He never withholds His compassion, even if we brought our troubles on ourselves.

On top of this, God’s compassion toward us gives us the freedom to give our compassion to others, regardless of whether or not they brought their troubles on themselves. We don’t have to make the choice between acknowledging someone’s guilt and feeling bad for the consequences of their destructive choices. Those of us who are believers in Jesus have experienced God’s profound
compassion, even when we brought much of our pain upon ourselves. This liberates us to pass along to others who are in need.

This Weekend's Message: Overhaul Prep

We all prepare for things in our own ways. Mark exercises 5 days a week for about 90 minutes. His routine starts with a set of stretching exercises. He says sometimes it feels like it takes longer to prepare for exercise than to actually exercise. When Doug prepares to fly his plane he preforms a series of different checks and rechecks. Before he actually takes off, he makes sure the plane is prepared to fly. And then there’s Liz. Let’s just say you better not talk to her in the morning until sometime after her second cup of coffee – that helps her prepare for the day.

 

We all have different ways we prepare for the day. This Sunday we are going to look at how Jesus prepared for Easter. And in looking at that, we will learn how we need to be prepared as well when it comes to following Jesus. Hope to see you Sunday, when our children's ministry have prepared some special music for you!

 

Also, will you do two things with me? Will you pray and ask God who you should invite to Easter services? And then will you follow through and invite someone to church this Easter? I have my invitation cards and have several different people I want to invite to church on Easter. Join in praying for people come to personal faith in Jesus this Easter!

Gary

Life Kids Need a Few More Hands

By Laurie Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry

This past school year has been wonderful with our new Life Kids curriculum. Our volunteers have found this change positive for the kids and the volunteers.

Over these past seven months, the children’s ministry has grown in numbers and we have had some volunteers that have needed to take a break due to life circumstances. So we currently have a few positions open that need to be filled through May. 

• An every-other-week position available at 8 a.m.
• An every-week position at the 10:45 service
• Storytellers who serve once a month during both 9:15 and 10:45 services
• And we could use some more substitutes. 

With the new curriculum, there is less prep time (only about 30 minutes) and when you arrive, everything that you need to share your lesson is prepped and ready for you. This is the perfect opportunity to experience children’s ministry for a short period of time and see how you can make a difference in our children’s spiritual lives. For more information, please contact Laurie Baiz @ (909) 841-4848 or laurie@lbfchurch.com.

Reflections: A Maundy Thursday Service…On Good Friday?

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship

We all know the routine: wake up, cook meals, run errands, go to work, sit in traffic, attend class, do homework, go to rehearsals or practices, race home, do some laundry, wash dishes and, hopefully, find some time to relax, carry on a conversation, or even open up the Bible before heading to bed – just to start it all over again the next morning.

This lifestyle could very easily be paralleled to the years of Jesus’ ministry. We see several times in the gospels where Jesus intentionally removed Himself from the crowds and activities to pray, reflect, and prepare. It is no wonder then that we find Jesus choosing to take His last hours on earth retreated from the busyness of the world, in a private room with only His 12 disciples. This was where He chose to express the heart of the Father and His desire to do whatever was necessary for us to have eternal life, and initiate an opportunity for us to stop and remember.

A Maundy Thursday service, which derives its name from the Latin word mandatum, meaning ‘commandment,’ begins this solemn remembrance of four events of this day: Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, the institution of the Lord’s supper, Jesus’ agony in the garden, and the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Our Maundy Thursday service, which we are calling Reflections, is an opportunity to slow down, prepare our hearts, and reflect on what Jesus’ final days were like and the new commandment He left for us – to love one another.

We hope to see you Friday, April 18, at 4:30 or 6 p.m. in the Worship Center for “Reflections,” an evening of remembering the sacrifice of Christ through music, prayer, silence, and acts of humility. A children’s program will be provided at the 4:30 service for 4 years-4^th grade and childcare for 0-3 years. There will be no children’s services at the six o’clock service. Due to its solemn and reflective
nature, we ask that children 4^th grade and under not attend the main services.  

FAQs

Q: Why aren’t we doing The Passion Experience?

A: The Passion Experience has been a great event that we have done for the past two years. “Reflections” offers us the opportunity to focus on some different events leading up to Good Friday, which is what The Passion Experience solely focused on. It also gives everyone the opportunity to experience and consider what Jesus did in a new and fresh way. We will certainly return to The Passion Experience in the future, but felt after a few years of that, this would be a good time for something different.

Q: Why are we commemorating Maundy Thursday events on Good Friday?

A: Our church has had a tradition of having a Good Friday event (Passion Experience). Wanting to keep with a schedule that people are familiar with, as well as a day that many are released from school or work earlier than normal, we believe that Friday services will allow the opportunity for more to attend.

Q: Why can’t kids under 5^th grade attend the main services?

A: The atmosphere of this service is very quiet and reflective. There will be elements of reading and responding that will require a higher level of literacy and understanding to truly engage. We feel that in order for adults and older kids to be able to fully engage, without the distraction of active kids or needing to explain all that is taking place throughout the service, it would be good to provide a kid-friendly program at the 4:30 service that we ask children in 4^th grade and under to attend.

This Weekend's Message: Evidence

“I just can’t accept Christianity. I just can’t shut my eyes, turn off my brain, and take a blind leap of faith.” This is the objection of many who don’t embrace Jesus. Those of us who are Christians don’t help to address this objection when we respond to honest questions by saying, “You just have to have faith.” Statements like that communicate that faith is contrary to reason and evidence. When we take a good look at biblical faith, we learn that this is not the case. When God asks us to put our faith in something, He overwhelms us with reasons why we should believe.

This Sunday we will hear Jesus make some audacious claims about Himself. He will call all people to embrace Him as the only path to God. At no point, however, does He say, “Just believe,” or, “Just take a leap of faith.” Instead He calls witnesses to the stand. Bit by bit He chips away at the skepticism of His hearers. He invites them – and us – to put faith in Him based on solid reasons and evidence.

Dan

Holy Week Service Schedule

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship

Easter is the cornerstone event of our faith. Not Easter church services, but the event that our Easter services celebrate: our RISEN Lord!

Make plans to join us on Good Friday, April 18, at 4:30 or 6 p.m. for our Reflections services. These services will bring us to a place of remembrance and consideration of what Jesus did to allow a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. For more info, see the Reflections article on page 7.

Easter Sunday we celebrate the fulfilled promise of Jesus overcoming death to offer us eternal life. We will have four 1-hour services on Sunday, April 20 (7:30, 8:45, 10, and 11:15 a.m.), where Pastor Dan will bring a message of invitation to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work to bring us LIFE in Jesus, and the music worship team will lead in songs of celebration, praise, and invitation of the Lord’s presence.

Invite someone to join you for these events! At this time of year, people who don’t normally consider going to church are looking for a place to attend, if only out of a sense of obligation or tradition. But what begins as tradition, God may use to get their attention and bring them to a place of surrendering their heart to Jesus. Don’t be shy – invite, invite, invite!

He is Risen!

Overhaul

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching

Sometimes a tune-up is not enough. There are times when a problem is deep enough that surface improvements just don’t cut it. Sometimes a complete overhaul is the only solution.

When we face problems – with our cars or with our personal lives – we seldom rush to take extreme measures. If possible, we try first to address our problems at minimal cost to ourselves. We always prefer a tune-up to an overhaul. We always prefer minor improvements to dramatic measures. The problem, however, is that we often opt for tune-ups when an overhaul is needed. And when we do this, we only delay the inevitable. The problem will persist until we finally take the plunge and opt for the overhaul.

We all have problems. We typically think we just need a new job, a little more money, a new relationship, or more will-power. In other words, we just think that we need a tune-up. The fact is, though, that our problems go much deeper. Tune-ups will only help us so much. If we are looking for a real solution, we need an overhaul.

During His time on earth, Jesus did not simply offer people tune-ups. He didn’t give advice on minor 

improvements in order to smooth out our already-decent lives. He came to offer a complete overhaul – a new life – to people who are broken, guilty, and in pain. This Easter at Life Bible Fellowship Church, we will talk about the message of Jesus, which, rather than being about quick fixes and simple solutions, offers us new life from the dead.