Are you aware of you surroundings?

Written by Pastor McCarty on June 26, 2015. Posted in Pastors Pen

Mommy's Little Angel

Is this your concept of angels?  Are they just the a figment of our imagination?  Are they the departed spirits of good people and children?  Do angels have any part in our lives?  The subject of the world of spirits can be unnerving and unknown.  

We are surrounded by a world that we often never consider.  I asked the question, "Are you aware of your surrounding?"  If that means do we see the other people, other cars, other scenes, the answer is normally yes.  We do a pretty good job of having our eyes open to what's around us.  I certainly hope every other driver on the road remains alert to the other drivers.  When I go to a baseball game we are instructed to remain aware of the game lest a bat or ball flies into the stands!  Being watchful and vigilant is important in life.

So, also, is being vigilant to remember that an invisible world exists around us.  in 2 Kings 6 Elisha prays that those with him would have their eyes open to see the "chariots of fire" that encircled the city!  They were already there.  It's just that the servants didn't see them.  Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing in the way when Balaam was blind to it.  It wasn't until after a conversation with his donkey that the Lord opened Balaam's eyes to see the angel.  The angel was already there.  It's just that Balaam didn't see it.

Both good angels and evil demons are all around us.  Satan is called the "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2.  One of his domains is the atmosphere we live in.  Demonic spirits are all around us trying to distract us, delay us and destroy us.  Satan and his army of evil minions work hard to keep us from serving the Lord.  And, they work hard to keep people from coming to the Lord as their Saviour and Lord.

On Sunday we will begin an investigation into a biblical theology of the world of the spirits.  Join us as we study this most important subject.  Today we are being influenced more and more by demonic doctrines, demon possession, occultic practices and Satanic attacks.  Be hear, or listen in, as we probe this topic.

Through Gates of Splendor

Written by Pastor McCarty on June 25, 2015. Posted in Pastors Pen

I'm sure many of you saw the notice that on June 15, 2015 the woman we all knew as Elizabeth Elliott slipped out of this world to be with her Saviour.  She was a prolific writer, a wonderful mother, a devoted wife, and a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.  Her life was anything but easy.  After losing her first husband, Jim Elliott to a martyr's death, she never flinched in her resolve to serve the Lord.

That day so many years ago was etched in her memory.  She and Jim had gone to Ecuador to reach the lost with the Gospel.   They were not even 30 years old.  They had their whole life ahead of them.  But, when they got to the field what no one knew was that Jim's "whole life" would be less than three years ahead.

I, like so many of you, have been captured by this story all of my Christian life.  Since first hearing some of the Auca believers speak at an Easter Sunrise Service in the 1960's, to reading about them while in Bible college, to speaking to a dear friend who was at Wheaton College at the same time as they were, to following Elizabeth's close walk, I have always come away asking myself if I have the faith to do what she has done.

Today I want to ask you and me that question.  Do we have enough faith to walk with our Saviour wherever that takes us?  Will we trust Him for the steps ahead?  Will we stay the course if that course becomes rougher than we imagined it could be?  Will we finish our course with honor to our Lord?

Two of the martyr's names have long been remembered; Jim Elliott and Nate Saint.  But, five young men died on that sandbar and five young widows were made that day. Though their names never became household names or wrote books that impacted thousands of lives, nevertheless they remained faithful to their Lord as well.  Take a moment to look at the names of the five men below.  Then, take a moment to Google those names to learn about them.  Then, ask yourself, will I stay the course for my Saviour?  Only you can answer that question.