The blog contains daily devotions and notes from the weekly messages.  We encourage you to review the notes during the sermon or through the week!  Most of the posts will have an audio and/or video link at the end of the notes.  From time to time the pastors will share other insights and devotions here.
 
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Seize the Moment – Day 289

Pursue the Deeper Life with Jesus!

2 Timothy 2

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 31, the seventh Day of Christmas. Enjoy your last day of 2020 and let’s welcome in the new year with prayer and fasting for God’s grace to pour down upon our church & families, communities and country. May God lead each of us into the deeper life with Jesus. 

 

You have heard of “stop, drop, and roll” when you are on fire. Well I say to you: “stop, turn away, and run into the arms of Jesus” when you are finding yourself struggling in life.

 

Paul teaches us in 2 Timothy 2:22-26, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

 

The Bible diagnoses us as having been given over to our passions and desires and that “breeds quarrels” within us! When you desire for something/anything more than God, there is war! When you desire to break your promises with others in hopes of finding personal fulfillment, there is war! When you struggle to love and trust, there is war!

 

There is only one hope for victory and He is the living hope—our hope is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

 

Decide today: (1) move away from what “breeds quarrels” (STOP!); (2) flee from all immorality (TURN AWAY!); and (3) Pursue Jesus Christ—righteousness, faith, love, and peace (RUN INTO THE ARMS OF JESUS)!

 

Seize the moment and make it your all-consuming ambition in the New Year to live a victorious life for God by pursuing the deeper life with Jesus Christ.

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 288

The Priority at Home!

2 Timothy 1

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, December 30, the sixth Day of Christmas.

 

What are the priorities of your home life?

 

Listen to 2 Timothy 1:5-7, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

 

Paul is reminded of Timothy’s sincere faith; a faith that now dwells in him, but started in his childhood home. Even though Paul and Timothy grew up in very different circumstances and cultures, Paul praised Timothy’s upbringing because it was one of faith.

 

Timothy’s preparations for ministry began in the home.

 

So often in American culture, we are expected to fill kids’ time with new experiences and activities, ensuring they have every opportunity now in hopes they will be successful in the future.

 

But do we neglect the simple things that our children really need: a home that is a sanctuary of faith, hope, and love. A home that is a safe place where they feel secure, where their souls can find rest, where their minds and hearts are guarded by the peace of God. A home that is filled with the care and concern that comes from God through our healthy relationships.

 

I often say to couples I work with, the best thing you can give your children is a healthy marriage.

 

If you desire to give your kids the very best, then make your home a safe place of refuge and protection. Not to hide them from the world, but a place of intentional preparation for what is to come: a life of service to Jesus Christ.

 

Children learn by watching the adults in their lives.

 

Seize the moment and prioritize Jesus in your life and home today.

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 287

Godliness with Contentment!

1 Timothy 6

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 29, the fifth Day of Christmas.

 

Are you content?

 

Paul states in 1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

 

When you look at the context of this verse, we learn that we are to pursue “godliness”, which is Christlikeness—the work of the Holy Spirit in us to conform us into the image of Christ, restoring us as the Image Bearers of God to the world, while remaining content in the midst of both religious (vv. 3-5) and worldly power plays (vv. 7-10), both of which lead to discontentment.

 

Then, Paul writes in verses 11-16, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”

 

Seize the moment and pursue a growing relationship with Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the great gain of godliness with contentment in all things. When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, Jesus promises to lead us into His abundant life.

 

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 286

The Basics of the Christian Life!

1 Timothy 5

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 28, the fourth Day of Christmas.

When I was in the Army, we would conduct the basic infantry “battle drills” all the time. The battle drills are the building blocks of individual skills and responsibilities on the battlefield—how to shoot, move, and communicate. Battle drills were drilled into us because people tend to forget how to do the basics well when under stress.

 

As your pastor, I need to lead you through battle drills of the Christian life, so that we do the basics well, like the golden rule of Jesus, even when we are under stress. 

 

As I read my Bible this morning, I am reminded of the simple wisdom of getting back to the basics. Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:1-2, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

 

Here are a few basics for us to remember on how to do life:

  1. Do not “rebuke” (be harsh with) the elderly, but rather “encourage” them (advocate for them and build them up). Treat older men as you would your father and older women as your mother. In other words, honor the elderly in our midst for their wisdom and life experiences.
  2. Treat people who are your own age and younger as your brothers and sisters: ”in all purity.” In other words, do not objectify and use one another, but see the value and worth in one another as human beings and treat each other accordingly.
  3. We are to practice these basics continuously in the church, but we are to extend these graces to others. What a great witness that would be to our world today!

 

Seize the moment and get back to the basics in 2021. Practice the golden rule in every part of your life so that when stress comes, it is only love and the fruit of the Spirit that come out of you in word and deed.

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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The Promises of Christmas (Week 5)

Happy New Year!

“The Promise of God Making All Things New!”

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 & Revelation 21:1-8 (NAS95)

 

One of the promises of Christmas is that God is actively working to make all things new. It is His work!

 

In Luke 1:30-33, a messenger from Heaven announced a kingdom that will have no end:

 

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

 

This will be the kingdom of the Messiah and the angel is referencing the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7:

 

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote of these promises of Christmas during some of the darkest days of world history when a tyrannical empire was attempting to destroy all that was good upon the earth:

 

The authority of this poor child will grow (Isa. 9:7). It will encompass all the earth, and knowingly or unknowingly, all human generations until the end of the ages will have to serve it. It will be an authority over the hearts of people, but thrones and great kingdoms will also grow strong or fall apart with this power. The mysterious, invisible authority of the divine child over human hearts is more solidly grounded than the visible and resplendent power of earthly rulers. Ultimately all authority on earth must serve only the authority of Jesus Christ over humankind. With the birth of Jesus, the great kingdom of peace has begun. Is it not a miracle that where Jesus has really become Lord over people, peace reigns? That there is one Christendom on the whole earth, in which there is peace in the midst of the world? Only where Jesus is not allowed to reign—where human stubbornness, defiance, hate, and avarice are allowed to live on unbroken—can there be no peace. Jesus does not want to set up his kingdom of peace by force, but where people willingly submit themselves to him and let him rule over them, he will give them his wonderful peace.[1]

 

What was Bonhoeffer’s hope in the midst of Hitler’s regime? It was the Christ child and His kingdom of peace. As Paul says in Philippians 2:10-11,
 
“every knee shall bow… and every tongue confess…” .

 

Through Christmas, God promises to make all things new, but as Bonhoeffer noted, this something new actively opposes the old order of things—diametrically opposed to human stubbornness, defiance, hate, and avarice, which is greed and covetousness. This new thing that God promises will require each person to choose for themselves if they want Jesus’ kingdom of peace to be birthed in them.

 

One of the great promises of Christmas is that Jesus came to bring something new to the world—in us and then through us. Listen to Paul explain this in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21,

 

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. [emphasis added] Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

This morning, as we prepare to enter into the New Year of 2021, I invite you to find your peace, hope, love, and joy by becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus and then learning to live in union with Him as a new creation. No longer entrust your peace or hope, your love or joy in the counterfeit promises of the world. After the chaos and emptiness of 2020, do not expect anything but Jesus to bring order to and fill 2021. If there is anything we should have learned in 2020 is that there is only One who can give us peace and hope.

 

To experience the promises of God given to us in this kingdom of Jesus, you must be born again, as Jesus states in John 3:3,
 
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 

To be born again means we must be converted, through faith and repentance, into something different than we were—born into something new, something other than we were. Paul teaches us in Titus 3:3-7,

 

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (cf. Ephesians 2:1-10).

 

It is good news to know that we can have a new beginning when we come to Jesus Christ and are filled with His Holy Spirit—the presence of God in us, eternal life, here and now. Being born again is just the beginning of this new life, which is eternal life—Jesus Christ is the “doorway to all the promises and blessings of God.”[2] We are now called to live in them as citizens of a new kingdom. We are to repent and believe. 

 

Just as Jesus preached in Mark 1:15,
 
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

 

Jesus ushered in something new—the fulfillment of God’s promises. Paul explained Jesus’ words in Galatians 4:4-7,

 

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

 

Jesus knew that His coming, the first Christmas, was the ushering in of the fullness of time when the Old Covenant would be fulfilled with the institution of the New Covenant between God and humanity.

 

Listen to Ezekiel 36:26-27 point to the New Covenant 600 years before Jesus,
 
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (cf. Jeremiah 31:33–34; Ezekiel 11:19–20; 18:31–32).

 

Jesus has done this! We are now living in the New Covenant with Jesus Christ as the only means by which any person can enter what He has made new. As Jesus proclaimed of Himself in John 10:9-10,
 
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

 

Acts 3:18-21 recorded this as the message of the early New Testament church:

 

“But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time (cf. Acts 10:38-44).

 

What is this “period of restoration of all things” that the earliest preachers of the gospel focused their message? It is their very hope—the fulfillment of what Jesus ushered in that first Christmas 2025 years ago in 4 or 5 BC—the rule of God on the earth itself in what the Bible calls the New Heaven and New Earth. This is our hope and our message. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19,
 
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

 

It is God on His throne in Heaven who has given us these magnificent and precious promises of His fulfilled kingdom in Revelation 21:3-8:

 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

Never forget the words of the angel spoken to Mary, “His kingdom will have no end.” And in this kingdom Jesus promises, “Behold, I am making all things new.” This begins in you at your conversion, but it is not completed until His consummation. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!

 

Jesus invites you to be a part of it! Jesus taught us to pray with these words from Matthew 6:10, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” This is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. May it be done in us and through us, now and forevermore, in and through 2021 and until that Day.
 
 

Footnotes:

 

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, ed. Jana Riess, trans. O. C. Dean Jr., First edition. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 68.

[2] Mike Beaumont and Martin Manser, The Handbook of Bible Promises, 2020, 75.
 
 
 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch to the message HERE.

 

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Seize the Moment – Day 284

Today’s Christmas hymn: “Away in a Manger”

Matthew 2:6          
 
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (ESV)

 

“Away In A Manger” is one of the most popular Christmas carols and yet, its history has been obscured behind false information for a long time. James Murray published the song in 1887, making reference to the words and melody as being inspired by Martin Luther in a lullaby that he sang to his family. It’s rise to fame was not based upon that connection, but rather the melody that was easy to sing and the words that brought peace and comfort to those who sang them.

 

Reflecting the simple beginnings of our Lord’s arrival to earth and being born in a stable, this song paints the picture for us to see as you sing…

 

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus, laid down His sweet head, the stars in the sky look down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

 

While the song contains a prayer asking Jesus to stay close by, we need to remember that He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We need to wake up and hold on to that promise, realizing that, while it is a pretty Christmas carol, the theology of the third verse is not totally accurate. Remember, if you ever have any doubt, go to God’s Word and check it out!

 
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 
If you would like to read the words to this hymn or hear the melody played, click on this link:
 
 
1
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
 
2
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
and stay by my side until morning is nigh.
 
3
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 282

Train Yourself for Godliness!

1 Timothy 4

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 24.

 

It’s Christmas Eve! Join us tonight for our 6:30 pm Christmas Eve Service. You don’t want to miss this beautiful time of worship. May you have a wonderful day, today, the eve of our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ!

 

Have you ever met someone who lives in the past—a person who feels that the best is behind them and doesn’t have hope for the future?

 

Paul teaches us in 1 Timothy 4:7b-10, “Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

 

I can testify to you that physical training does have a season of glory, whether that season ends in high school, college, in the Olympics or professional sports, but there is a day where even the most celebrated athlete’s career must come to an end. And as the sun sets on any athletic season, what do those athletes have left? Who are they apart from their accomplishments and accolades?

 

Here is the good news: When we train ourselves in godliness, the best is always yet to come!  The glory days are never behind us, but always before us! When you train yourself according to the Word of God, the living God sets before you a future that has the truest and highest honor of being welcomed into the Victor’s Circle of Heaven (1 Corinthians 9:25).

 

Seize the moment and train yourself in godliness. This way, you’ll always have your best days ahead of you…

 

 

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 281

The Mystery of Godliness!

1 Timothy 3

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday,

 

Have you ever noticed Paul’s beautiful doxology, or song of praise, at the end of 1 Timothy 3?

 

Listen to it in verse 16, “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body; was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”

 

This was an early creed of the New Testament Church—used to teach their faith and shape their communities.

 

The mystery of godliness is Jesus’ miraculous birth and perfect life, His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, His triumphant ascension and imminent second coming. We are to proclaim this!

 

The mystery of godliness was made visible to us in the miracle of Christmas. It is revealed in the incarnation—that the God who is Spirit would dwell fully in human flesh as a baby.

 

God chose to reveal His majesty to us as one of us in a particular form and in a specific time and space. God became one of us, as a human baby and became completely dependent on His creatures for His care and well-being, for His survival…

 

God continues to trust us to fulfill His mission to preach the good news of His coming to the world so that all the nations can know what is the mystery of godliness.

 

Seize the moment and “Go tell it on the mountain / Over the hills and everywhere / Go tell it on the mountain / Our Jesus Christ is born.”

 

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 280

Your Top Civic Responsibility!

1 Timothy 2

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 22.

 

What is your top civic responsibility as a Christian?

 

This passage was written by Paul at a time when the Roman government was far from favorable to him or the cause of the Christian Church. In fact, the authorities he is talking about in this passage have imprisoned him and would soon kill him for his faith. Understanding this should change the way we read this passage; the sacrificial love it calls us to as citizens of any nation.

 

Paul commands all of us in 1 Timothy 2:1-6, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

 

Your top civic responsibility is to pray! And not just for the highest officials in the government, but also for those you are called to be civil with, like your neighbor or your coworker or the person sitting in across the pew from you. You are God’s person right here, right now!

 

This civic responsibility is a commanded way of life in the Bible; it is the way of having right relationships with other people, the truth of right interpretations of your circumstances, and the life of effectively expressing your faith in Jesus to the world. 

 

Seize the moment and pray! God has strategically placed you in your community to pray and live a life of sacrificial love.

 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 279

The Power of Testimony!

1 Timothy 1

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 21.

 

This morning, I had the privilege of reviewing a 5-minute video testimony that one of our church members made for this coming Sunday’s service. Dee made this video to share God’s hope with all of us—to remind us that even when life and circumstances are hard, God is faithful and loving. I love it when people share their testimonies. It fills me with faith, hope, and love. 

 

Listen to the Apostle Paul share his testimony in 1 Timothy 1:12-17,

 

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Did you see how Paul, when he finished his testimony, praised God! In remembering what God had done for him in the past, Paul was moved to thank God in the present. Paul’s testimony has been used by God to give so many people hope—that if God can love and forgive Paul, then, yes, God can love and forgive me too.

That is the power of testimony!

 

Seize the moment and share your testimony and give the gift of faith, hope, and love to another person.

 
 
 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

 
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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