The Miracle of Christmas

The real story of the times of Jesus’ birth was that there was terrible political unrest, a religious institution that was more concerned about politics than meeting the spiritual needs of the people! Nations were constantly redrawing Israel’s boundaries, and there was a nervous peace around the world. The disparity between rich and poor was getting greater and greater. Into the midst of all this turmoil and hopelessness God makes His appearance in human flesh . . . the baby Jesus!
The Bible shows us that in Christ there can be "peace and goodwill to all men on whom his favor rests" 2:14b. In the midst of a world of darkness God has given us a great light. Most people were hoping for some kind of miracle to change things! It was in this atmosphere that a miracle did happen, God sends forth His son the Messiah to redeem man. The whole world was changed when Christ was born. Only Jesus can profoundly change the behavior of man. And it will be Christ's second coming that will finally solve the problem of the human race.
During this season how many will have their hearts and minds tuned only to the sounds of this world in celebration, and how many will be listening for the marvel of what God has done in the celebration of Christmas?
The first Christmas the desperate and the despised found great joy and peace and acceptance from God! What about you? Will you just pass through another holiday season ending it with a huge credit card debt and exhaustion over activities? Or will you come to know "peace on earth and good will toward men on whom His favor rests." Will you find a great joy in knowing that Christmas is not just a season, it is a reason for living? For Christians the Christmas season is not starting, it has never ended!

In His Service
Pastor John J. Dodd

I AM ONE OF YOU!

Joseph Damien was a nineteenth-century missionary who ministered to people with leprosy on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Those suffering grew to love him and revered the sacrificial life he lived out before them. One morning before Damien was to lead daily worship, he was pouring some hot water into a cup when the water swirled out and fell onto his bare foot. It took him a moment to realize that he had not felt any sensation. Gripped by the sudden fear of what this could mean, he poured more hot water on the same spot. No feeling at all. Damien immediately knew what had happened. As he tearfully delivered his sermon that morning, no one at first noticed the difference in his opening line. He normally began every sermon with, "My fellow believers." But this morning he began with, "My fellow lepers." In a greater measure Jesus came into this world knowing what it would cost him. He bore in his pure being the marks of evil, so we might be made pure. "For this I came into the world," he said (John 18:37).

The Scriptures tell us about a God that so loved humanity that instead of just encountering humans, He experienced humanity! God came to experience the pain, pressures and difficulties of our lives so He could be the Savior of the world that we needed. There is no greater way that God can becoming one of us except by coming and living among us. So during this Christmas season, let us remember that the greatest demonstration of God's love to humanity was the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas and God Bless You!!

Pastor John J. Dodd

THE SECRET SOCIETY OF THE SATISFIED

In Philippians 4:11 Paul uses the word "content." This word speaks of "being satisfied with what one has, regardless of how small it might be." Are you a contented person? Are you satisfied with your lot in life? If you are, then you possess great treasure. Someone has said that contentment "softens our privations, sweetens our provisions, and makes a cottage as fair as a castle."
You might be saved and have much in this world and still not be content. Rather than living lives of grateful contentment, our lives are often filled with complaining. We complain when children are noisy, instead of being thankful that they are healthy and happy. We complain about our home when thousands have no home at all. We gripe about work when many have no jobs. We fuss about our cars when many have never seen a car. Why? We have never learned the secret of contentment! Benjamin Franklin said, "Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor."
There is a secret to satisfaction and Paul knew all about it. Look at his words: (v.11) "I have learned", this word means "to gain knowledge". (v.12) "I know", this word means "to understand, to make a discovery". (v.12) "I am instructed", this phrase means "to be initiated". Paul uses the language of Greek "mystery religions". They claimed to have special knowledge of deep, divine secrets possessed only by the initiated. Paul borrows their words to tell us that he has been initiated into The Secret Society Of The Satisfied. He knows the secrets and they all reside and come to us through our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ!

Find your satisfaction in Christ alone!
Pastor John J. Dodd

RITUAL OR REALITY

People are not interested in religion but in reality. The world
does not need a definition of religion so much as it needs a
demonstration. There is a desperate need for the church to
move beyond a ritualistic religion and to show the power of
the reality of the Kingdom of God. I know that God has
described His Kingdom in many ways . . . but never powerless,
boring, or depressing! Listen to what the scriptures say about
the greatest institution on earth.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Hebrews 12:28
Wherefore we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved
(shaken), let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably
with reverence and godly fear:
Each local church (a local Kingdom of God) should be described in
the above scriptures. Not just a dead and dry meeting of religion,
but of the reality of God’s presence, because people need a
relationship with God. In the last few years we have seen just a
little demonstration of God’s power being active in God’s church.
God wants his people to reflect the reality of their religion. True
religion is not superficial but springs from the heart of man.
External religion will never compensate for the real thing. Our
dependence must be founded on God and not our deeds.
To depend on anything but God will result in getting us spiritually
out of focus. We tend to focus on our self when our focus gets off God.
We tend to magnify our own righteousness rather than magnify God.
To get our eyes off God causes us to emphasize our work for Him
rather than His work for us. The Israelites in the O.T. had hoped
they could place God under obligation through their fastings and
prayers. Their motives were wrong; their pious activity was purely
selfish. They complained, "God, we have sacrificed and abstained,
and You haven't even noticed." Their attitude was "God owes me!"
However, God is not blessing us because he owes us . . . He is
blessing us because he loves and cares for his people. God receives
the glory and honor for what is accomplished. So, let us continue to
"have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear."

Blessings!
Pastor John J. Dodd

TOMBS & STONES

The next few weeks mark a holy celebration, it's the celebration of our Lord's death and resurrection. This Easter season we are called upon to think of tombs & stones. They make us think about death and hopefully life. In the gospel of Mark chapter 16 there was a problem!!! The problem was a barrier. The women who were coming to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus asked: "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" The stone (barrier) was going to keep the women from doing what they wanted to do.
Stones are still covering tombs today. Our tombs may not be a place in the side of a hill that's covered with a rock, it may be - hardened hearts - unconfessed sin - indifference - bitterness - hatred - complacency. These are self imposed stones that cover our lives and act as barriers that keep God out! They keep God from doing what He wants to do in each of our lives. Tombs contain that which is dead, not living. The women came to ANOINT the DEAD body of Jesus. However, Jesus could not be found among the dead . . . He was risen! The bible also speaks of people that look alive but are dead.


Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.


So how did the stone get rolled away? ANSWER: God did it! Matthew 28:2 tells us that there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. And how will the stones get rolled away from our lives? ANSWER: God will do it! We can live in a tomb of the dead, or leave an empty tomb behind and have life.


Romans 6:4, 10-11 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.


Choose Life through Christ this Easter season!

Pastor John J. Dodd

TAKE YOUR GOAT INTO THE ROOM WITH YOU

There is a story about a family that was not very thankful . . . A man goes to his pastor and complains, Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do? The pastor answers, Take your goat into the room with you. The man thinks that this is ridiculous, but the pastor insists. Do as I say and come back in a week. A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. We cannot stand it, he tells the pastor. The goat is filthy and he makes a mess of everything. The pastor then tells him, go home and let the goat out and come back in a week. A radiant man returns to the pastor a week later, exclaiming, life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat in the house, only the nine of us.

Thankfulness is always a matter of perspective!

Psalms 100 is one of the great Thanksgiving chapters in the Bible. The first verse of chapter 100 says: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth." To make a joyful shout is more than hollering or screaming. The emphasis is upon what we are shouting about. The Hebrew word means "an extension of the hand." It is as if the psalmist is saying to cup the hand to the mouth and speak out loud a very joyful confession to the Lord. Psalms 100 explains the many ways that we should be thankful. We need to serve God and each other with thankfulness, we must come before God in a thankful manner. There is Public Praise and there is Personal Praise. Thanksgiving is more about your attitude then your circumstances.

PRINCIPLES ARE ETERNAL AND THEREFORE THEY NEVER

CHANGE WITH THE CULTURE OR CIRCUMSTANCES.

SO IS YOUR THANKSGIVING JUST A HOLIDAY THING OR
A PRINCIPLE THING IN YOUR LIFE?

Have a great Thanksgiving Day!
Pastor John J. Dodd

VETERAN’S DAY

Corporal Jeffrey Starr was a typical 22-year-old American Marine. He was into high tech, he was computer savvy and he believed in his mission. While serving his third tour in Iraq, he wrote a letter to his girlfriend and stored it on his computer. It was to be opened only in the event of his death. On May 30th 2005, he was killed by small-arms fire near Ramadi, Iraq.

His girlfriend received the following email:
"It may seem confusing why we are here in Iraq, but it’s not to me. I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not to have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators...to do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark."

Corporal Jeffrey Starr gave his life in pursuit of an ideal in which he believed. He is an American hero, one of many whose mettle has been tested and cured in the crucible of war. There are, and have always been, many more just like him. Each believes in the mission and those certain enviable character traits, among which are determination, persistence, willingness to sacrifice, possessing an iron will and devotion to duty.

Many of us have friends and family that have gave of their own lives to secure the freedom that we now enjoy. Yet, we must remember that the "war" does not end for most of our veterans just because they made it home safely. They still need our support and love as they come home and try to re-enter civilian life. So, on this Veteran’s Day, let’s make every effort to honor the brave men and women who have served this great nation and have protected our freedom.


Pastor John J. Dodd