Seize the Moment – Day 261
Prominent or Preeminent?
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, December 3.
This morning, I want to introduce you to a big word we rarely use: preeminent.
Listen to Paul use this word in Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
In other translations, “preeminent” is replaced by, “first place in everything” and “supremacy.”
In other words, to be preeminent means that God wins in all things and His ways rule the world.
Is Jesus prominent in a few areas of your life or preeminent over your life? Another way to ask that question is: Do you want to be a fan or a follower of Jesus?
There is a chasm between the two. One leads to rest and the other to frustration. One is under grace and the other is under the law.
Jesus always has been and always will be preeminent. The question is to what extent you acknowledge that and live according to what you say you believe.
Seize the moment and fully surrender to Jesus’ preeminence.
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 260
Spiritual Nutrition!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, December 2.
Nutrition is important—not only in your physical diet, but, also, in your spiritual life.
Just like it matters what you put into your body through your mouth, it matters what you put into your mind, heart, and soul through your eyes and ears. It matters what you think about, what you say, and what you do.
Let’s learn from the final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians some spiritual nutrition guidelines to live by if you want to be a healthy person:
- SERVE EVERYTHING UP WITH JOY! Paul testifies in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
- SALT EVERYTHING WITH THANKFULNESS! Paul commands in verses 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- THINK HEALTHY THOUGHTS! Paul teaches in verse 8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
- BE SATISFIED WITH YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED! Paul witnesses in verses 12-13, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
- TRUST GOD FOR YOUR DAILY BREAD! Paul concludes with verse 19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Seize the moment and focus on your spiritual nutrition!
What shapes your steady diet?
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 259
Press On!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, December 1.
Did you know that today is day #259 of these daily phone calls? Pastor Ken and I are 100% committed to persevering with you through this pandemic and through this second surge and through the holidays and into 2021.
One of the psychological tests the Army would do in the US Army Ranger School would be to give us false finish lines and then push us past them. This was done in various ways, whether in pushing us through very long nights and days of movements with heavy equipment loads on our backs or on routine runs that did not end when expected or hours on the rocks training our bodies. All of this physical work, was really mental work, training us to persevere and be resilient.
You may not know this, but the book of Philippians was my favorite book in the Bible when I was going through Ranger School. We may not be in a military school right now, but today’s reading from Paul is essential to our Christian lives in the midst of this Covid-19 pandemic. Paul teaches us in Philippians 3:10-14:
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Seize the moment and press on to the goal of becoming like Jesus! Now is a great opportunity; don’t waste it! Persevere!
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 258
Walk like Jesus Walked!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 30.
The Christ Hymn of the New Testament church was recorded by Paul in Philippians 2:5-11:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Based upon Jesus’ example, Paul calls maturing Christians to a life of humility and love in Philippians 2:14-18:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Seize the moment and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk faithfully with Jesus today.
That looks like:
- Doing all things without grumbling and disputing (14)
- Rather, walking blamelessly and innocently in the world so that you can shine (15)
- Holding fast to Jesus and the Bible—the Word of life (16)
- So that you can love God and love people for the glory of God (17)
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.
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The Promises of Christmas – Week 1
1st Sunday of Advent
“The Promise of Hope!”
John 1:1-14 (NAS95)
Hope is a “trustful anticipation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of the promises of God” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 751).
“Hope is, therefore, not irrational, but rather is based upon God, who has proven himself faithful. Biblical hope is hope in what God will do in the future. At the heart of Christian hope is the resurrection of Jesus” (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 997).
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
Christian hope is not a misplaced belief in our human ability to work for a utopian life here and now—as we are all learning, no amount of political ideology or medical science is going to save us, nor will greater education or a larger economy is not going to save us, our jobs or recreation, our families or friends, or anything else can save us. Progress is not the hope we thought it was!
God’s severe mercies have occurred throughout history, time and time again, to teach humanity that there is only One in whom we can hope. Currently, this contemporary outpouring of mercy has left many depressed and aimless as God teaches us the One object of biblical hope.
I am here to proclaim that it is for this very reason that we celebrate Christmas, year after year! Hope in Christ is the currency of heaven that entered creation in such a novel way that we are still searching for ways to express this miracle of Christmas. It was at the first Christmas that the object of Christian hope came into focus in a way that was unlike anything that had ever a happened in history—it is the miracle of the incarnation—Emmanuel—God is with us! We celebrate His first coming and we anticipate a time in which He will come again!
The scripture passage for the first Sunday of Advent is from John 1:1-14:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This is the mystery of the incarnation—the hope of Christmas—the hope of Christianity—the hope of humanity! Christmas celebrates the coming of a living hope—the hope of Jesus Christ!
Allow me to share with you a guiding image for the incarnation:
As a magnifying glass concentrates the rays of the sun into a light burning knot of heat that can set fire to a dry leaf or a piece of paper, so the mystery of Christ in the Gospel concentrates the rays of God’s light and fire to a point that sets fire to the spirit of man. And this is why Christ was born and lived in the world and died and returned from death and ascended to His Father in heaven … Through the glass of His incarnation He concentrates the rays of His Divine Truth and Love upon us so that we feel the burn, and all [spiritual] experience is communicated to [people] through the Man Christ. (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, 150).
The union of God and man is the focusing of God’s way, truth, and life to humanity. As Jesus explained in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Listen to an ancient witness express the importance of this truth, writing in the voice of Christ:
Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you must follow, the Truth which you must believe, the Life for which you must hope. I am the inviolable Way, the infallible Truth, the unending Life. I am the Way that is straight, the supreme Truth, the Life that is true, the blessed, the uncreated Life. If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free, and you shall attain life everlasting (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 219).
Furthermore, Peter teaches us in 2 Peter 1:2-4 of this miracle of our union with Christ, made only possible because of God making Himself known to us in such a concentrated form as the Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature…
To fulfill His promise, God takes the miraculous step towards us and that is the miracle of Christmas—this is our hope—God is with us! He came in the flesh and for a special relationship with His people. So that, we may partake in the divine nature.
“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
But God, being rich in mercy, proclaimed in a new way these ancient words: “I will be your God and you will be my people” (Mike Beaumont and Martin Manser, The Handbook of Bible Promises, 23–24). Jesus Christ came to unite us to God in fulfillment to His ancient covenants.
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.”
“Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
“You shall be My people, And I will be your God.”
This has always been the message of God to His people and it is the concentrated focus of why God came in human form so that we know Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, the only way to the Father (John 14:6).
“For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
In fact, the Bible ends, with this subject as the focus of the Revelation 21:3-7,
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.
This is the promise of God being with us! And unlike promises and contracts that mean nothing to people in today’s world, God’s promise of special relationship (covenant) has been legally ratified through a blood sacrifice—the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.
This promise was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, but then (the promises cannot be limited to Christmas alone!), Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, when He shall come to judge the living and the dead. Apart from this creed—our faith—we have no hope for the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
This is our faith and our only hope—Christ is the most clearly visible, most concentrated focus of Light that pierces our hearts with God’s love! Let us bring Him into focus for all to see this Advent season because Jesus, the Christ of Christmas, is the reason for the season.
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Seize the Moment – Day 256
Christmas Hymn: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Tomorrow begins the Advent Season, so we will focus on the hymns of Christmas in the upcoming weeks.
John Francis Wade fled England because of the Jacobean rebellion. As a refugee, he needed to find a way to make a living. He started teaching music and copying music and hymns for private use, since everything had to be scripted by hand. He took the Latin text of Adeste Fideles and put it to music and published it in 1743. It quickly became prominent Christmas hymn of the Roman Catholic church, being brought back to England from France as English Catholics returned.
An Anglican minister named Rev. Frederick Oakeley, came across Wade’s Christmas carol while he was preaching at Margaret Street Chapel in London. In 1845, Oakeley translated the song to O Come, all Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant!
Both of these men had a deep love for Christmas and for hymns, and though they lived a hundred years apart, they both wanted to proclaim the message to everyone…Come, joyful and triumphant, and the adore Him born the king of angels!
Decide today that you are going to WAKE UP every morning during this advent season and be determined to share the joy of the season and the message of love that came to us over 2000 years ago!
YOUTUBE:
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come
and behold him, born the King of angels;
Refrain: O come, let us adore him, O come,
let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory
to God, all glory in the highest.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy
morning, Jesus, to thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
Refrain.
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Seize the Moment – Day 255
Walking in the Promises of God!
Philippians 1
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 27.
Paul starts with a promise from God in Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Paul moves to prayer in verses 9-11: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Paul then gives us some perspective in verse 12: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
Paul finally gives us the plan in verse 21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
In life, all four of these elements are important to living the victorious life in Christ:
- a promise to claim;
- a prayer to pray;
- the right perspective on circumstances; and
- a plan to walk in.
Without one of these four elements you may find yourself overwhelmed by an anxious mind or fearful heart, aimless in your life, and buried in your circumstances. It is my desire to help you choose the better way—the way of the Spirit, which is the crucified life in Christ.
When we live by the promises of God we truly walk in union with Jesus Christ and experience God’s best for our lives. As Peter promised us in 2 Peter 1:4, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” This is God’s will for our lives!
Seize the moment and walk in the promises of God.
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 254
The Proactive Prayers and Petitions of Thanksgiving!
Ephesians 6
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 26. Happy Thanksgiving!
Paul teaches us in Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
What a beautiful passage! It is a partner passage to Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Both of these Scriptures exhort us to use prayer as an offensive, proactive weapon in the Spirit of God. We have been equipped to face any giant because we remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. We simply get to be witnesses to His faithfulness!
Never forget that the context of Ephesians 6:18 is putting on the full armor of God.
So, how do we join with God in this battle for the hearts and minds of individuals, families, communities, and nations?
We have to make sure we are only using the weapons of the Spirit so that you can stand firm on the Rock of Jesus Christ:
- Praying in the Spirit on all occasions;
- Making petitions and requests in everything; and
- Giving thanks to God in all of our prayers, petitions, and requests.
Let me summarize these in one statement: “The Proactive Prayers and Petitions of Thanksgiving are our greatest weapon!”
We so often forget that thankfulness is not a reactive emotional response to our circumstances, but, rather, our proactive awareness of God’s faithfulness in everything.
Seize the moment and pray in the Spirit on all occasions through the proactive prayers and petitions of thanksgiving! Your thanksgiving is your continual praise to God!
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 253
Be a Wake-up Call!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 25.
Have you ever been asleep and someone turns on the light in the room? It definitely wakes you up!
Paul teaches us in Ephesians 5:8-14, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. This is why it is said, ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”
Darkness is a lack of the true substance—light! Before Christ, we all were darkness. The Bible teaches us that before Jesus we were cut off from God—literally “dead in [our] transgressions”, but in Jesus we are the light of the world because we are now “alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4, 5).
Thank you Jesus for loving us so much that He would take our death (our darkness) for us so that we can share in His life (His light)—we are now the light to the world only because He is the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16)! He is alive in us. We have gone from death to life!
Just like when the light is turned on in that dark room and you go from being asleep to suddenly awake, Christians are saved to be a wake up call to the world proclaiming, “wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Seize the moment and be a wake-up call to all you encounter! Shine!
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.
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Seize the Moment – Day 252
Walk in a Manner Worthy!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 24.
Are you walking in a manner worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ?
Paul says in Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The Koine Greek word translated “worthy” means “fitting or proper in corresponding to what should be expected—proper, properly, fitting, worthy of, correspond to.”
So, when Paul exhorts us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, he is saying: ensure your life corresponds with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you live like someone who has been saved? When people see you, do they think of God’s grace—do they see Jesus?
Speaking of grace, a major emphasis of Paul’s writing is that we can’t do this on our own power, but under the authority, or power, of the Holy Spirit.
From Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul gives some criteria to know whether you are walking in a manner worthy of the new life we have been given by God’s grace through Jesus Christ:
- Humility
- Gentleness
- Patience
- Bearing with one another in love
- Eager to maintain unity of the Spirit
- Eager to maintain the bond of peace
Interestingly, there are some intersections between these criteria and Paul’s fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
So, how are you doing in your walk? Does your life demonstrate Monday-Saturday what you proclaim when you gather as His Church on Sundays? This is our faith and our witness.
Seize the moment and walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
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.
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