John 8 opens with the fairly well known account of the woman caught in adultery and then is presented in front of Jesus for his judgment on her sin. As you read this passage in your Bibles you may see there is a controversy over this passage’s credibility and place in John’s Gospel. While the exact location for this passage in the New Testament is a legitimate question, I am preaching on it because I believe it an event that did actually happen and God intended for this to be in the Canon of Scripture. 

In Sunday’s text, some poorly motivated men are seeking to exploit the indiscretions of this woman to trick Jesus to enhance their standing in the religious community. These men were bad judges but ended up bringing her to the good judge, the merciful judge, Jesus. Before we get too high and mighty,   finding fault with the woman for her adultery or with these men for being self-serving and inconsistent in their treatment of this woman, we need to understand this account is to reveal the deceitful nature of sin in our own lives. In a very quiet, yet deliberate way Jesus’ Words first expose sin in all the characters of this story and then the Words of Jesus, with love and kindness, extend an invitation to completely avoid the judgment of God by repenting of one’s sins. Join us this Sunday as we see the bad judge we all can be, and the good judge Jesus is. 

When Sue and I were newly married the only kind of vacation we could afford was going to a campground and staying in a tent. We actually still like to do this. For those who have had this experience, you know that the thin layer of canvas or nylon doesn’t provide a lot of privacy from the other families camping near you: You can hear what they are saying, see what they are doing,  and smell what they are cooking. In no time at all, whether you intended to or not,  you get to know the other people in the campground really well, and they get to know you. Most times camping has been a very positive experience for us and we have gotten to know some amazing people as a result. 

In John 7 Jesus and His disciples make the journey up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  Tabernacles was a harvest festival in the fall where people recognized God’s presence, as in the tabernacle tent, and God’s faithful provision in the harvest just gathered. In coming to Jerusalem they would build small, temporary tent like shelters to commemorate how the Israelites lived during the days of their wilderness wanderings. It was a campground atmosphere. It is in this setting that Jesus makes some of His most profound statements regarding what He came to do. In chapter 7 Jesus invites us to quench our thirst by drinking (believing in Him), resulting in a never ending flow of spiritual water from our inner lives. 

The work of Jesus in salvation does not simply add to whatever good we may think we already possess. The Gospel is a radical, supernatural transformation of the person that Jesus depicts as going from being a thirsty person to being a life that has a continuous stream of living water flowing from it. If you are coming to Jesus for a cup, or bucket of water at a time you will never be satisfied. Jesus offers to satisfy our thirst so much that we have an overflow of water continuously flowing from our soul. Join us this Sunday and hear the teaching of Jesus on how to satisfy your thirst and let the water flow from you.

The Meaning of Baptism

While baptism is a deeply personal thing for the people getting baptized, for the Church it is one the most significant things we as a church do. In the great commission Jesus instructed the church to “. . .make disciples, baptizing them . . .” Because baptism is linked with discipleship, I want to take this opportunity to look into the scriptures for the meaning of baptism. The only requirement we make for baptism is a personal confession of faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the redemption of our souls for eternity. My message on Sunday I will explain what it means to confess Christ as savior, concluding with an invitation to publicly profess that faith in believer’s baptism. After the service I am already planning to baptize 5 people in the Ocean, and that number can increase. If you are willing to publicly confess to Christ and request baptism, we will be happy to baptize you.

Who is Jabez? If you read the book by Bruce Wilkinson called the Prayer of Jabez you know who he is, but apart from that book not many people know who he is. Jabez has all of 2 verses in the Bible devoted to him, tucked away in the middle of 1 Chronicles. Let’s be honest, how often do we read from the book of 1 Chronicles? Not very often if at all. Jabez is an interesting person in the Bible because in spite of the small place he holds in Scripture, he hits the nail on the head when it comes to asking God for something.  Jabez asks God to bless him! Who of us does not want God’s blessing in our lives? I want the blessing of God for me personally as well as for the ministry of this Church.  Join me this Sunday at our Campus Church service where we will peel the layers back on what it means for God to bless us, and bless our church.