Seize the Moment – Day 366
A Magnificent Vista of God’s Judgment!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 18.
Have you ever stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon or on the top of Clingmans Dome and found yourself awestruck by the scene set before you?
Revelation 15 shows us a vista of God’s mighty judgments. Listen to the praise and worship of the angelic watchers as they witness the majesty of God who sits upon the throne in verses 3-4,
And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
The angels’ response to God’s judgment of sin is praise and adoration. What is your response?
God loves you and wants only the best for you! Do you believe this about God and His judgment?
God knows that sin is not good for you, even when you think that what you are doing is best for you. It is our limited understanding of God that causes us to rebel against God’s best for our lives.
This is why we must make it our greatest ambition to know God. In knowing God, we will find ourselves in the loving embrace of a good father who desires to put His name on us and shine His glory through us.
Seize the moment and worship God in truth and spirit! Fear not for the Lord is with you and desires good for you and for all of His creation.
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 365
Legacy of Good Works!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 17. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today is day #365 of these daily calls! I pray that we have helped you stay in the Word of God and remain yoked to Jesus through the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is your life’s legacy?
Revelation 14:12-13 calls us to persevere in good works:
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
This is the first time the Holy Spirit explicitly speaks in the Revelation of John and it is to those who are in union with Jesus, or as I like to say, are in the yoke of Jesus. There is a blessing for them; the second of the seven beatitudes of Revelation, reminiscent of Jesus’ beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount: they will leave a legacy of faith.
In the easy yoke of Jesus Christ you will fulfill the purpose of your life by producing the good works God has prepared for you to do in your life. Ephesians 2:10 teaches us God’s promise of good works!
Seize the moment and focus on your union with Jesus. The good works that are done while in the easy yoke of Jesus are promised to follow after you!
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 364
Persevere in Your Faith!
Revelation 13
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, March 16.
Have you ever felt like you “lost sight of the forest for the trees”?
I remember flying in a military helicopter over the mountains of Dahlonega, Georgia during the second phase of the US Army Ranger School. As a 1997 graduate of this prestigious training, I spent a lot of time out in those mountains, but they were never so beautiful as when up in the helicopter flying over them instead of trudging through them. I was so exhausted by my circumstances and so focused on the task at hand that I could not see the beauty that surrounded me—I lost sight of the forest for the trees!
I am returning to the Dahlonega area in 2021, 24 years later, to hike the section of the Appalachian Trail that starts at Springer Mountain and meanders through those same ridge lines around Dahlonega. Though the terrain will not have changed, I guarantee my perspective will be different! I’m excited to see to the Forest!
Revelation 13 is an overwhelming chapter, describing the two beasts, the anti-Christ and his prophet, but verse 10 gives us an important perspective: “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”
But for this one small clause in the middle verse of this daunting chapter. John is saying to us, the readers of Revelation, “don’t lose the forest for the trees.” Perspective changes everything—God has a bigger plan than what we can see so don’t let the details of today or the fears of tomorrow distract you from your faith.
Seize the moment and persevere in your faith! Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees!
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 363
Jesus’ Reign is with a Rod of Iron!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, March 15.
What does it mean when someone rules with a rod of iron?
Revelation 12:5 describes the rule of Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God, “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”
It is also used in Revelation 2:26-27; 19:15, and in Psalm 2:9.
Contemporary dictionaries define it like this, “to control or govern very strictly or harshly.” The connotations are negative, tyrannical even, but the Bible is using it in a positive way.
To rule with a “rod of iron” means that Jesus’ reign will be an “unyieldingly just reign.”[1] His rule over people will show no favoritism. He will not deviate from justice to allow any perversion or distortion of what is right and true. He will rule according the standards established by God for His creation.
That is not tyranny. That is not harsh. That is love!
The intent of this image for the future is to invoke hope in the people of God. The goal is to inspire faithfulness until that day. Though we currently live in a world where justice is not always just and government is not always for the people, we can anticipate what is to come. We can live today with great expectation of all things being made right and true.
Seize the moment and face the injustices of today with faith, hope, and love because what God has promised for tomorrow is right and true.
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
YOUTUBE:
[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), Re 12:5.
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Live Like a Champion – Week 11
The Promise of Calling!
Ephesians 4:1-7 (NAS95)
In this sermon series, we are learning how to live like a champion by learning how to live according to the victory of the promises of God. Our guiding image for this series is being a member of an NFL team who wins the Superbowl. We live like champions so that others will come to know the One who gave us His Victory—Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!
The play of the week is the “Promise of Calling!” The memory verse for this promise is Ephesians 4:1, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”
The foundational truth for this promise of God is that we are each called by God. This sounds simple, but it addresses a huge misunderstanding in the traditional church that must be addressed—the calling of God is not limited to being a pastor or missionary. The calling of God is for every single believer in Jesus, because the calling of God is about the health and functionality of the entire Body of Christ.
In fact, spiritual leaders in the church are commanded to equip you to fulfill your calling. Listen to this truth taught in Ephesians 4:11-16, from the same chapter as today’s promise:
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The truth of God’s Word is that the body of Christ will not mature until every single member of the body is walking in maturity—“in a manner worthy of the calling.” My call as a pastor and fellow elder in this church is not to have power over you, but to empower you in your calling—to live a mature life as a member of the Body of Christ! For you to be living the life of faith, hope, and love.
[So please call on me to help you; this is a relational process that I walk with you in the way, not a program to be managed or service to be lead! I desire to meet with you and help you find out where you are in your walk with Jesus and then help you, with the Holy Spirit as our guide, in taking next steps in this maturation process. This is the way! My call is to help you mature in your walk in the Way of Jesus.]
You have been chosen by God and called to be a member of the Body of Christ so that we, as one mature body, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which each of us have been called!
Paul said in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
Every believer is chosen and called to be a part of God’s victorious team—God’s family! This is a team sport that requires each of us to train ourselves according to the promise and then be a healthy, cooperative, functional member of God’s family. Why? So that the world may know that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior!
There are so many illustrations that come to mind from sports, family, politics, in fact, every arena of life experience. We all know how one person can change the functionality of an entire workplace or family or sports team—for good or bad. Just like if your toenail gets infected—it may be “just a toe” in your mind, but in functionality the whole body suffers and limps and loses its well-being. What if you have “just” one nerve misfiring? Is it just one nerve, really? No, it either hurts badly or a part of your body keep misfiring!
You are called to be a part of something bigger than you—the Body of Christ, but it is dependent on you being a healthy, functional member. The key is that every member of the Body has to submit to the headship of Jesus Christ! What does a team look like when every member is doing their own thing? What would it look like if you were walking down the street with each limb of your body doing its own thing?
Listen to Paul’s thoughts from Ephesians 4:1-3, so that we can learn about our calling as fellow members of Christ’s body: “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The calling of God is first and foremost about your spiritual formation! Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28-30,
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [What’s His purpose that we are called according to?] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
God’s will for each of our lives is that we reflect Him—that we walk in a manner worthy of that calling—to be “conformed to the Image of His Son.” This is your first calling and every other call is secondary to this first calling! Your first calling is God’s preeminent purpose for your life: to walk with Him in a manner worthy of His calling—to walk in the way of Jesus Christ! Everything else flows from this center!
As John explains this in 1 John 2:5b-6, “By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
Let’s look at three practical applications of our walk with Jesus from Ephesians 4:1-3:
Surprise, surprise, Jesus described Himself this way first, as being “gentle and humble in heart” in Matthew 11:29 and that, in fact, is the yoke we are to take on ourselves—Christian discipleship is the spiritual formation of our lives and character, so that we walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
Paul explains in Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus is our example: we are to have the same attitude, but not necessarily take all the same actions: You do not need to die on a cross in order to be gentle and humble, but you do need to put aside our own selfish pride and vain ambition in order to serve others. Some examples of that are the following:
- At home by doing the dishes, being a team player, listening well, thinking of others first.
- In the store by letting someone go before you in line or helping a person get a high or low item off the shelf. Being considerate and thoughtful of the employees and other shoppers.
- At work or in school by helping someone with their assignment or project instead of just letting them fail in order to give yourself a better chance for promotion. Be an encourager, not a gossip!
I combined these two because the tolerance that is being spoken of here is the ability to endure or bear something—patience under the weight of stress and anxiety. The application to this is simply stated, but difficult to live: show love by being patient with people, including yourself. Some things only happen through prayer and fasting! Get in the easy yoke of Jesus, learn to be gentle and humble in heart, and patiently love people so that you yourself will not be tempted to sin or fall away. Pray and fast through it!
As Paul said in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” And we learn from Jesus that the law of Christ is to love one another as Christ first loved us (John 13:34).
We have heard the call to diligence from the beginning of this sermon series (2 Peter 1). Every member of a Superbowl-winning NFL team is called to not only work hard as individuals, but also as a team—it’s both-and, individual training and team cooperation in order to live the Victory. This requires long-term diligence!
We have to know the playbook (the Bible), train ourselves with all diligence (a wholehearted commitment to our Christian discipleship), listen to our Coach (Jesus is Head so pray and fast!), and work as one team (a healthy member of Jesus’ body submits to His headship and mutually submits to one another!).
You are called to be a part of something bigger than you! Are you all in? Are you committed and submitted?
I ask you again: What does a team look like when every member is doing their own thing? What would it look like if you were walking down the street with every limb of your body doing its own thing?
With those images in mind, listen again to Ephesians 4:1-7 so that your memory verse will have the persevering power to help you live the promise of God’s calling:
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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Seize the Moment – Day 361
Today’s hymn focus: “I Know Whom I Have Believed”
YOUTUBE:
I Know Whom I Have Believed
I know not why God’s wondrous grace
to me he hath made known,
nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
redeemed me for his own.
But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I’ve committed
unto him against that day.
I know not how this saving faith
to me he did impart,
nor how believing in his word
wrought peace within my heart.
I know not how the Spirit moves,
convincing us of sin,
revealing Jesus through the word,
creating faith in him.
I know not when my Lord may come,
at night or noonday fair,
nor if I walk the vale with him,
or meet him in the air.
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Seize the Moment – Day 360
Witnesses to a Dark World!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, March 12.
What happens when you turn on a bright light in a dark room? It’s shocking!
As the end nears and the coming of Christ approaches, God will press upon His people to be the witnesses who shine brightly in the darkening days. Just as God does not leave the world without witnesses today, so God will not leave the world without witness in the great tribulations that are to come.
Listen to Revelation 11:3-4, “‘And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”
Just like the two heavenly witnesses, you too have been granted great authority as God’s witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has enlightened you through the gift of faith and He has empowered you with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God has called you to bear great spiritual fruit so that all may see His transforming power in and through you.
You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ. You were saved to shine His light to all who are caught in the darkness of these last days. Don’t be surprised when people are shocked by you and your faith! That’s what light does in dark places.
Seize the moment and shine!
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Romans 12:3 (NAS95), “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 359
Embrace the Mystery!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, March 11.
When I read Revelation 10 and John is writing down how God is revealing hidden things to us verse after verse, I am taking it all in. Just as in a good mystery, God doesn’t allow us to see everything up front.
Listen to Revelation 10:4, “When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.’”
How do you handle that? In the midst of God pulling back the veil through John and giving us the book of Revelation, God essentially tells us, “Not this! Now is not the time for you to know everything.”
Are you OK with the fact that there are some things you are not allowed to know, yet?
Personally, I love it! I embrace the reality of the mystery of God. I love that He knows and I don’t. It keeps me fully submitted, fully anticipating, and fully engaged.
Fully submitted is the life of FAITH!
Fully anticipating is the life of HOPE!
Fully engaged is the life of LOVE!
Faith-Hope-Love are the three theological virtues. The reality of mystery leads me to stay humble and live my life in reflection to who God is and what God is doing. And that is the life that God wants me to live.
How are you embracing the mysteries of God?
Seize the moment and live the life of faith, hope, and love.
I encourage you to continue to review all of your memory verses. Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Romans 12:3 (NAS95), “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 358
God Meets People at the Bottom of any Pit!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, March 10.
When I read the judgments of God found in the Revelation of John, my heart breaks for people. Not in a prideful, I’m ‘better than you’ kind of way, but sincerely and in empathy, my heart breaks because I know what it is like to resist God and to keep putting my trust in myself to go where I want to go. I get it. I’ve been there and I’ve done that.
Revelation 9 is a stirring chapter. After the woes of God are released upon the earth and 1/3 of the earth’s population is killed, people are still unwilling to repent and turn to God. Listen to Revelation 9:20-21,
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
What does it take to get people’s attention so that they will turn to God?
How low do you have to go? How low does our culture have to get?
Remember, God specializes in meeting people right where they are! God meets people at the bottom of any pit! If you find yourself feeling like you or a loved one is hitting bottom, there is hope—His name is Jesus! Turn to Him today and He’ll lift you up!
Seize the moment and put your trust in God today.
I encourage you to continue to review all of your memory verses. Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Romans 12:3 (NAS95), “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 357
Eternal Prayers!
Is there anything you can invest your time in today that is guaranteed to last forever?
Listen to Revelation 8:1-4,
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
In Heaven, the prayers of God’s people go up before God. This same truth is also referenced in Revelation 5:8, where we see the “prayers of the saints” in “golden bowls full of incense.”
Your prayers, lifted up to God, last forever! Take time today to invest yourself, your time, and your energy in eternity.
As you read the rest of Revelation 8, you will be confronted with how so many other things we invest ourselves in just won’t matter at the end of the age. So much of what we get caught up in will be long gone when our prayers lifted up to God will still be like incense to God in the throne room of Heaven.
Seize the moment and praise God today. Share with God what is on your heart, submit yourself to His purposes for your life, ask Him to lead you and then listen for His guidance, and may the God of all love and grace guide your steps through His Word and Spirit.
I encourage you to continue to review all of your memory verses. Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from Romans 12:3 (NAS95), “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
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