"Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control…in this lifetime?" by Pastor Suzanne Taczak

"Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control…in this lifetime?"
by Pastor Suzanne Taczak

Our Scripture readings today are from Galatians 5:22-25, Matthew 7:16-20, Colossians 3:12-17

Today, I invite you to turn with me to a passage of Scripture that's a favorite of mine! It describes "the fruit of the Spirit". Galatians 5:22-23 says, "... The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, (patience) long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

This is our third and final study on "The Fruit Of The Spirit"...Fruit born by those who walk in the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit. Pastor Tom and Pastor Les have discussed the first 6 fruit of the Spirit. A summary of these follows:

Love - active good will, toward God and man, that passes knowledge

Joy - gladness, delight, which is inexpressible and full of glory

Peace - harmony, concord, that surpasses understanding

Long-suffering - patience, self-restraint in the face of provocation

Kindness - sweetness of temper that places others at ease, born of mercy

Goodness - benevolence, kindness in action

Today we will discuss, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To begin with, let’s define "faithfulness" & make sure that we’re talking about the same thing. If you were going to define faithfulness, as Paul uses it in the N.T., how would you do it? Well, if you looked in the dictionary, you would find a technical definition that says, "To follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty." That’s a good definition. Listen to what the Bible says. Here are some of the scriptures that challenge us to be faithful.1 Corinthians 4:1-2 challenges us to be faithful in stewardship. Ephesians 6:21 talks about being faithful in service. 1 Timothy 5:9 speaks of being faithful in our marriages. Revelation 2:15 speaks of being faithful in witnessing. Romans 12:12 says we are to be faithful in prayer. Colossians1:7 speaks of being faithful in ministry. Revelation 17:14 says we are to be faithful in following the Lord. Proverbs 31:26 speaks of faithful instruction. 3rd John 3 says we are to be faithful in the truth. Revelation 13:10 speaks of faithfulness even in times of persecution. Revelation 2:10 says we are to be faithful unto death & then we’ll receive the crown of life.

So what about faithfulness? Just as surely as Jesus was tempted to be unfaithful, we will be tempted to be unfaithful - in our marriage, in our relationship with the Lord, & in the church. That’s what Satan does. He will tempt us to be unfaithful.

We need to seek the Holy Spirit’s reinforcement & develop regular, positive, spiritual habits. We're being pressured on every side to develop negative habits, tempting us to be unfaithful in church attendance, to be unfaithful in prayer, & in studying the Word of God. But if we’ll say, "Get thee behind me, Satan," & be determined to serve God faithfully, then people will be able to count on us. We’ll be consistent, & trustworthy, & reliable. We’ll develop these habits so they come automatically. And when Satan tempts us, we will not be severely tempted because we’ve developed the habits of faithfulness, & we will not quit.

Next, let's look at gentleness: by implication humility, meekness. Gentleness (or meekness), then, is that quality by which "we treat all men/women with perfect courtesy, that we can rebuke without hate, that we can face the truth without resentment, that we can be angry and sin not, that we can be gentle and yet not weak." True strength in Christ is expressing ourselves with gentleness, humility and courtesy. Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Finally, let's talk about self control and means "one holding himself in.” "The virtue of one who masters his/her desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites" Those "led by the Spirit" will produce the fruit of self-control in their lives. We have self-control over bad tempers. We have self control over judgmental and critical attitudes. We have self-control over an unforgiving spirit. We control our vices! This one is huge for me! I have shared many stories where I lost self-control in the past and I hurt the ones I loved deeply! Remember that our spirit and our flesh are at war against each other. We struggles with addictions to food, sex, drugs, alcohol, people, laziness and the list goes on and on...

Are you ruled by the flesh or are you ruled by the Holy Spirit? By our own efforts, these things could never be produced in us as they were found in Jesus. But the wonderful promise is that, through the ministry of His own Holy Spirit dwelling in us, Jesus' own perfect character - as defined by these qualities - can be exhibited in us! Just imagine - the perfections of Jesus in us!! How, then, could we ever place enough importance on what this wonderful passage offers to us? Perhaps you need such a message of hope this morning. Perhaps you've been frustrated with how far short you fall of living the sort of life God wants you to live. Perhaps you've been struggling to measure up to what you believe a man or woman of God should be. Remember Pastor Tom has said so many times that you no longer need to measure up. God sees you as His child. Jesus died for us so we no longer have to measure up! Maybe your failures have almost caused you to give up hope. The only one who can live the life of Jesus is Jesus Himself. We could never do it in our own power. But the good news is that Jesus, through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, is able to live His own life in and through us - if we will yield ourselves to Him. As Paul has joyfully affirmed, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

When it comes to the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in your life, the place you must begin, then, is by being sure that you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, have been delivered from your sins through His sacrifice on the cross, and have invited Him to take rule over your life.

As we grow in the Lord, and as we grow more and more to be instructed in the Scriptures, we will grow increasingly to perceive the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And and as we perceive His leading, we are to do what He says. When He commands us, through the Scriptures, to do something, we're to do it. When we sense a sinful passion or desire rise up in us, we're to crucify it, and do what God's word commands us to do instead. When we feel within us the inability to love, or be joyful, or have peace, or show patience, or be kind or good, or faithful, or meek or self-controlled, we're to entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to produce those things in us. Remember that it is not by your power that you produce the fruit of the spirit. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that produces the fruit! Stop focusing on your own efforts and submit to the Holy Spirit! Yield yourself to Christ! As you grow in the Lord and follow His will through prayer and Bible study, He will produce the fruit! Glorify Him by becoming more like Him and in so doing we fulfill the mission of this church, “To ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time!” Amen? Amen!

Ripe for the Picking by Pastor Tom Millner

"Ripe for the Picking" by Pastor Tom Millner

John 14:26-27, Galatians 5:6, 13-26

IWe’ve taken a journey over the past few weeks down a road that has a divine destination. We started our journey with the imperative to present ourselves as a living sacrifice which is acceptable unto God, as an act of worship. To not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed through the renewing of our minds so that we might know the good and perfect will of God in our lives. We moved then to learn about God’s mercy and grace as acts of His love. Since He is love and we are called to seek Him first, love is the imperative. We learned how no one can boast about how great he or she is to the kingdom because it is Jesus who has made us whole before God. We learned that the reason we love Him and one another is to build the Body of Christ – His Church, with Jesus’ love as the foundation and cornerstone to the structure. We learned that gifts of the Spirit are not to be trophies for any one’s personal gratification, but rather tools to build His Body in Love. We learned that Jesus is the great equalizer – He died for the sake of everyone, without regard for the world’s view of success or failure.

Here we are today at a place along our journey that some may see as a destination. Here, in the midst of this sparkling new Worship Center with its comforts, convenience, and challenges, we might be tempted to feel as though finally, we’ve made it! But, my friends, I assert to you that this is just a new beginning! This place is not the end, but rather a part of the means by which His work of building His Body will be launched today. This Worship Center is simply one among many of the tools in the Master’s Tool Chest. Remember the value of a π inch drill? It’s not the drill but the whole you get that renders the drill valuable. Likewise, this Worship Center’s value lies in what it renders in the building of His Kingdom. Let’s look now at some things that power this tool to render the utmost value to His Kingdom!

Jesus stated in John 14: 26-27 that God would send a Counselor to remind us of His promise and to bestow upon us the peace of His presence. A counselor does not control, but rather guides in thinking and understanding around the things that most concern us. A counselor acts as a facilitator of our growth. This particular Counselor is the Holy Spirit who facilitates our spiritual growth and development so that we may more perfectly love God and love others as ourselves. Keep this thought in mind as we move forward today in the 5th chapter of Galatians – God’s Holy Spirit is present in us to facilitate His love – to and for Him toward and between each other.

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the “oughts” and thoughts of “must be” to be acceptable. Because we don’t see ourselves the way God sees us (perfect because of Jesus) we create our own little fantasies of this that or the other that might give us an edge on the righteous meter. To the recipients of Paul’s letter, becoming a Jew before being a proper Christian was one of those marks on the righteous meter that Paul was warning against.

Galatians 5:1-6
God’s mercy and grace are free. They are the products of His love. Because of the mercy of God, we don’t get what we really deserve and because of the grace of God, we are given what we don’t really deserve. Because of His mercy and grace, we are free from the confines of any identity other than one who is made whole by His grace. To believe that we “MUST” be a particular way in order to be made whole by Him is enslavement to a pattern of thinking and behaving that places self interest above His interest. Paul is encouraging the Galatians to stop putting their hopes in the law, but rather in the “spirit of righteousness” – that of Jesus. Verse 6 reminds us that neither religious rituals nor non rituals have any real value. What really counts in the Kingdom is faith expressing itself through love. What does that look like? Faith expressing itself through love! Let’s read further as Paul takes us on this faith journey.

Galatians 5: 7-15
Paul points out that the Gospel of truth (we are saved by grace) is often easily perverted into the thinking that our actions have something to do with it – that kind of thinking can be pervasive (a little yeast). This is the way the world thinks. Paul argues that if that were the case, then he himself would not have been persecuted. But because the GRACE OF THE CROSS is offensive to the whole notion of having to measure up by other standards, he was indeed being persecuted… If only we would understand that all of the things that we would conjure up to measure up are summed up in a single command –“Love your neighbor as yourself,” we would be free to build up, not tear down each other. Instead of living by an arbitrary set of rules, then, live by that which God has given each of us – His Spirit. That’s how we express our faith through love!

Galatians 5:16-26
There’s a tug of war that we can engage in… self-desire or life in His Spirit. Self renders acts that indulge our sinful nature – His Spirit is the opposite. Living by His Spirit produces something. That something is the natural product of His Spirit. Paul calls it the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control are the fruit of His Spirit. Every tree that bears fruit does so for a purpose. To reproduce itself! Within the fruit is the seed that will grow another of its kind. We think of fruit as being for our consumption and enjoyment – and indeed we do enjoy – but the purpose is not about us, it is about perpetuating itself. So it is with the fruit of the Spirit. Though we may enjoy and be refreshed by it, the purpose of this fruit is reproduction of His Spirit in others. Savor the fruit in the knowledge that it is not our own, but His, produced for His purpose.

So, if we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, as our spiritual worship to him, not conforming any longer to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds to live in His will – and if we remind ourselves that it is His grace and mercy that justifies us before God – and that He bestows us with gifts of His Spirit to live in His love with each other so that His Kingdom will be built through His church, of which each of us is a vital organ – living in the faith that gives us freedom to act in love instead of obligation – God produces in us a fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – which are tools used to grow His Kingdom.

If today you are tired of doing it yourself – tired of the journey to your own end – fed up with it not going your way, turn to Him in faith today that His love through His mercy and grace, will carry you to a different place – a place where the fruit of His Spirit may be born in you – to advance His love to each of us..

To view Pastor Tom's sermon online, click here.

"Please Lord, Heal my Dad" by Pastor Suzanne Taczak

"I'm eager to share this message with you after being on sabbatical for some time." This message is one of healing! It involves my dad who was diagnosed with liver and colon cancer on August 13 of this year. I didn’t think it was too much to ask God for healing!!! Jesus is the same today as he was 2000 years ago! We serve a “Lord who heals you.” In Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. We serve a healing Savior, Jesus Christ. Like God the Father, Jesus heals the sick and infirm. And be it established that Jesus heals today, for He "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

I believe in healing! I prayed and I prayed but the sicker my dad became, I wondered what God had in mind. The doctors gave him 2-3 months to live and I watched him become weaker and weaker. Why, lord, would you take him now? Why won’t you heal him, Lord? My dad asked me the same questions! “Why now and why so soon in my life, he asked?” “Was I that bad of a man that God will not heal me now?” “What did I do to deserve this type of end?” “What will happen to your mother once I’m gone?” Not easy questions to answer, especially to your own dad! I gave him the only answers I knew. I answered him straight from the Bible. My dad trusted my answers. Could I trust them? Would Jesus heal my dad?

If you are reading this now, I ask you, do you believe in healing? Do you really? Could God heal you? “By His stripes we are healed”, today, just the same as yesterday and over 2,000 years ago!!

When my dad was first diagnosed with colon cancer it came as a shock to all of us. He had just recently had a colonoscopy and received a clean bill of health. That was 2 years ago. How could this be? I even recently read that even if they find a pollop, the recommendation is to have another colonoscopy in 3 years. So, why my dad, Lord? When dad and I had time alone, he asked me so many questions. “Why now at this age of 81? I’m young and I was always so healthy.” He took very good care of himself for most of his life. Remember that longevity runs in my family. We all yearn to live and we have a desire to live life to it’s fullest. My dad was the same! When is a good age to die dad- 91 or 101? He always taught me that we never know when our time would come. He still had humor and replied, 101, I could never live another 20 years with your mother!” His eyes twinkled. I knew how much they loved each other-married 58 years! My dad always found humor in all situations. It was good to know that he could still make us laugh, even after this shocking news. I’m too young to die he would say so, I reminded him that when he was a young boy, he told the story of how God sent an angel to save him and his brother Joe. As they fell head first from the roof of the moving train, the angel swooshed them up onto the bank on the other side of the tracks. He knew that it was an angel. “It was so incredible, he said.” They both looked at each other in disbelief and ran home to tell their mom. She knew too. They believed in all the wonders of the Bible. They too, believed in miracles and healing and God’s never ending love! They believed in eternity, too!

I reminded him that his life was spared as a child. He accepted that. He agreed that he lived a long and wonderful life! I also reminded him of his belief in eternity and that God would forgive him of all his sins. I reminded him about 2 Timothy 4:18, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

“Will God take me in heaven, dad asked?” Of course dad, God will take you, I said! You believe in Jesus, don’t you? “Of course I do but I have sinned.” We all sin dad. Have you asked God for forgiveness for your sins? “Yes.” Do you believe that there is a heaven and that Jesus came to earth to die for your sins? “Yes, he said.” If you have asked God to forgive you and you believe in Him, then He has created a place for you in heaven! Dad said, “I have asked for forgiveness and I believe in Jesus and His life everlasting but I was not ready to go yet. I want to live longer!” So my dad wanted to live longer at 81. How many times I hear people say that they don’t want to live that long! Why place limits on your life?

So, those of you reading this message, are you ready to meet Jesus? Do you believe in Jesus as your Savior? Are you carrying something inside that needs forgiveness? Do you want to live with Our Lord after your death? You can always have an opportunity to have forgiveness, to ask for Jesus into your heart, and to have life everlasting! Do you believe in the healing power of Jesus Christ? He has already healed you by His death on the cross. Do you believe it?

So for a few days after dad’s diagnosis, he was filled with many questions! We spent lots of quality time together during the next six weeks. Then something changed. My dad became very angry. I had previously asked all of you to pray for healing for my dad. We, as a family believe in healing in the Name of Jesus! We prayed and prayed. I would get up in the middle of the night and pray. My brothers, my mom and our entire family prayed, too. My dad was on several prayer lists. He was so angry! I know it’s a stage in the dying process but this is my dad! He yelled about almost everything! He was always so positive about life and about death. He would easily talk about both but now when he was faced with dying, his tune changed. How could his attitude change so fast? Did he really doubt life after death? Is this what happens to us all? I had questions of my own. When faced with the reality of death, do we turn from God or do we draw closer to Him? Will I, too, become so angry that I become indifferent to God? My dad was not my dad. I was so upset. I prayed to Jesus for my dad to accept His healing!

Have you ever doubted God’s love for you? Have you ever become so angry with Him that you even doubt if He is present in your life during those difficult times? Is He present in your heart right now? Are you angry? Open up your bitter heart right now, in the Name of Jesus!

In Luke 18:42 Jesus said to [the blind man], “RECEIVE your sight.” In Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ASK FOR in prayer, BELIEVE that you HAVE RECEIVED it, and it WILL be yours. In Acts 3:16 BY FAITH in the NAME OF JESUS, this man whom you see and know was made strong.

I needed to go back to work for a couple of weeks but as I left, I had never seen my dad so angry. I was so afraid that his heart would remain hardened right up to the day he died. Those last couple of weeks he stopped asking questions. I was afraid that he was turning away from God!!! He wasn’t the soft-spoken, calm, funny, loving father that I had known all my life. When I left dad, I became resolved that I might need to remember him before the cancer and try to block out this man I didn’t know. It also upset me that he could talk so freely about life and death before his diagnosis. Isn’t it easy for us to speak of things we know nothing about? I have done it, have you? We all say you should do this or you should do that! We must remember that we never know how we will react to any situations! We must learn to walk in another's shoes without judgment!

Have you ever turned from God during the most important times in your life, when you should be turning towards Him? We all have done it. We get so angry. We vent all our anger on friends and family and we turn from the One who can help us the most!!! I feared that my dad was turning from the One who could heal him, who could give him comfort, who could ease his worry and pain!! I prayed that God would heal him, especially his angry and hardened heart!

On Sunday October 12th at 4am, my brother Steve called and said I needed to come up right away. Something is different with dad. My brother Dan then called a little later and told me that dad was going to die soon, because dad saw angels in his room. He asked that we all come to be with him. I knew that I had to go right away! As I traveled to see him on that early Sunday morning, I wondered how dad would be. I had never seen him so upset before I left. I prayed that he would no longer be angry. When I arrived at my parents, I saw my old dad- the one I knew all my life! He was happy, his faced glowed and he smiled and joked like I had always remembered him. My brother said that dad had been so angry until he looked up in the ceiling and started smiling and waving and he told my brother that there were angels in the room and they were coming for him. Dad was smiling and waving to the heavens above, shaking hands with people from his past. They were there to welcome him. He had such a peaceful look on his face. His demeanor was calm and loving. We will always remember that peaceful, loving, face of my father-the face that had seen a glimpse of heaven!

He never raised his voice the entire day we spent together. We talked and he was joyful and peaceful. We watched the Pittsburgh Steelers win that night. He ate his favorite chicken soup that my brother Dan made for him. We were up with him all night and at 8:30am the next morning my dad went to be with the Lord. God had healed his hardened heart! He was finally at peace with his maker! Now, I can block out those angry weeks because God healed my dad. It was the best gift that God could give. In John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again.”

Healing doesn’t always come in physical ways and for my dad it was his attitude of bitterness. God healed his angry heart. My dad is alive with Christ everlasting! Jesus loves you so very much and He is here for you. Give Him your burdens!!! Open your heart to the living, loving Jesus who can heal your broken heart, your hardened heart, your sad heart, and your hurting heart! My dad was healed by our Lord, Jesus Christ! Jesus turned his anger into love! God allowed him to see a glimpse of heaven! Will you see it as healing? Will you think it was just a dream? Will you trust in God’s precious healing today? Only you can decide for yourself! I pray that you too, will believe! Jesus heals today just like He did over 2000 years ago. Jesus is alive right here and waiting for you to come.

In Matthew 9:21-22 [The woman bleeding 12 years] said to herself, “IF I ONLY TOUCH HIS CLOAK, I will be healed.” [22] Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “YOUR FAITH has healed you.” In James 5:13-16..” Is any one of you in trouble today? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayers offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

“RECEIVE Your Healing!” Psalms 30:2 O LORD my God, I CALLED TO YOU FOR HELP and you healed me. He TOOK YOUR infirmities and sicknesses. Now YOU TAKE His free gift of healing. It is yours today! Jesus died for you and He healed you at the cross. Just like over 2,000 years ago, He healed then, He heals now!