Pastor's Message from February 5, 2012

Pastor Michael's Message
From February 5, 2012

"Take a Stand for Jesus!"

Acts 20:17-21 (NIV)

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,

from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility

and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.

²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful

to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn

to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Ephesians 2:11-13 (NIV)

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth

and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision”

(which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹² remember that at that time you

were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and

foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and

without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once

were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Acts 20:26 (NIV)

²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.

There is no excuse for not knowing Jesus. Paul was 'innocent of the blood of any of you' because he had presented the Gospel. The rest is up to you. Will you choose Jesus, or will you harden your hearts?
What is the Gospel? http://bible.org/article/what-gospel
How do you receive Christ as your personal Savior? http://www.ficm.org/receivec.htm

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)

¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,

abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love,

unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

2 Timothy 4:1-8 (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living

and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season;

correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great

number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist,

discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time
for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—
and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.