Christ Fellowship of Wise County

The Apostle Paul knew what it meant to be a servant of Christ. He knew what it meant to not be concerned about what other men thought about him. He knew what it meant to live his life with one goal in mind and it was only to please the Lord. Have you ever really tried that for any length of time? Have you ever decided that this week or this month or this year that you are just going to live for the Lord and let everything else fall where it may?

Paul knew it was worth it in this life. There is peace and joy to be had in a world of unrest and unhappiness. But he knew it was going to be worth it in the next life as well. Jesus called it storing up treasure in Heaven for eternity (Matt. 6). And Paul knew what was required of him to store up that treasure.

In Galatians 1:10, Paul said, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

This obviously does not give you a license to be a jerk by thinking you don’t care about other people or how they feel. That’s not Jesus-like at all. It means that you are mindful of what God wants you to do and be and where He wants you to go and what He wants you to say. And with that servanthood there is great freedom! How does that sound to you today? Freedom…peace…joy? You can have it. Ask God what He wants from you today, this week, this month and this year.

I’ll see you Sunday morning at Christ Fellowship my dear ones! I love you all! — Todd

I just want to say “thank you” to those of you that donated to the food pantry this week! We have lots of good stuff to give away now. We have enough meat to last a while and some frozen veggies as well. Plus, we have all kinds of snacks that everybody loves. So, thank you! We could still use some half gallons of milk and some dry goods like pb&j or spaghetti; stuff that’s easy to fix.

So, none of us have to worry about the food pantry for a while. And that’s good because we will study what Jesus would do about worry this Sunday. I would encourage you to read Matthew 6, verses 25-34 sometime before Sunday morning. It explains to us why worry is sinful and also gives some practical steps to avoid it.

I can’t wait to see you there! I love you all! –Todd

Tomorrow, Saturday the 13th, at Christ Fellowship, there will be a celebration of life for Trina Perry’s dad, Warren Blount, from 11-3. Lunch will be provided and if you would like to bring a side dish or dessert, that would be great but you don’t have to. Everybody is invited and your presence will help to comfort the family. I hope you can be there.

This Sunday we will start a new sermon series entitled, What Would Jesus Do? WWJD was a popular saying some years ago but it only helps if you see in scripture what Jesus actually did. Just using your imagination about what you think He would do doesn’t always lead to truth. So, this Sunday, we will look specifically at what Jesus did when He was tempted. Maybe you can relate to that problem.

I love you all and can’t wait to see you! — Todd

Don’t forget that this coming Sunday, July 7th, at Christ Fellowship is our church lunch right after the morning worship time. There’s no rules, of course. Just bring what you make best. I believe Anna is cooking a large turkey but if you want to bring another meat or side or dessert, that’s fine. I think some people even still eat vegetables in spite of Romans 14:2. 🙂

Even if you don’t bring anything, we hope you’ll stay. There is always plenty and it’s always wonderful! I can’t wait to see you! I love you all! — Todd

In John 18, Pilate looked at Jesus and asked the question, “What is truth?” Can you see the irony there? Jesus, who IS truth, is standing right there and Pilate can’t see it. Or maybe he just didn’t want to see it. Most people want to see THEIR truth, not THE truth. They watch the news that fits their beliefs. They listen to people who say what they believe. They try to silence or cancel those that say something other than what they believe because if something is true, it has to be believed. And the only way to prove you believe something is for your life’s actions to reflect that belief.

Do you want to know the truth? Are you ready to change to prove you believe the truth? Or do you want to waddle into church and hear some pretty music and some encouraging words and then waddle out the same way you came in? If so, how’s that working out for ya really?

This Sunday at Christ Fellowship, we will study what some folks think is a hard truth. You may need to wear steel-toed boots but I pray that you come with an open mind and a soft heart that is willing to hear and be changed by absolute truth. And…you will get the encouragement and the pretty music as well! So, make plans now to join your family this Sunday. You are missed when you aren’t here! I love you all! — Todd

Do you have somebody in your life that is hard to buy for? It’s the old question of what to get the person who has everything. That may seem especially difficult when you want to give God a really good gift. He made everything and owns everything. What could He possibly expect from us?

Micah 6:8 tells us exactly what God expects of us and you should read this and then spend some time meditating on it and how it applies to you and to our church and the vision God has given us. How does this apply to our ministry to the poor, the addicted and the incarcerated?

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

I can’t wait to see you this Sunday so we can talk about it more! I love you all!

— Todd

When you hear the word “vision” what do you think of? Is it how well you see when you wear your glasses? Maybe. But the kind of vision we are going to be talking about at Christ Fellowship for the next few weeks is the kind of vision that God gives to people to let them know what He wants. God spoke to the Old Testament prophets in dreams and through angels or a burning bush or even talking donkeys. Today God usually gives us His vision through His word, the Bible.

This coming Sunday we will see the vision God gave to Jonah and what happens when we don’t embrace His vision. It’s like trying to use the wrong tool for the job. It just doesn’t work out very well. But when we see God’s vision and embrace it as our own, God can do the miraculous! 

Make plans to be here this Sunday to see what miracles God can do in and though Christ Fellowship as we see His vision for us! I can’t wait to see you! I love you all! — Todd

Woman looking in mirror – “Honey, I look fat. Will you give me some kind of compliment?”

“Well, your vision is perfect!”

Vision. When I use the word, you may think of different things. But I’m not talking about eyesight and I’m not talking about seeing a ghost or some apparition, things you might call a vision.

Biblical vision is having God’s will revealed to you. Maybe it is through a dream (like some of the prophets) or by an angel (like Mary and others) but today we usually get God’s will revealed to us through reading the Bible. And Proverbs 29:18 says that where there is no vision, the people perish.

This coming Sunday, we will get to hear the Gideons speak and I always love it when they come to Christ Fellowship. But after that we will start a new sermon series on vision. I believe God has a vision for us as individuals and for us as a church and we need to know what that vision is.

So, I pray that you will join your family at church this Sunday ready to support the Gideons and ready to start talking about God’s vision for our church. Your church needs you and you need the church! I love you all! — Todd

Well, happy Memorial Day weekend to you! For lots of people that means a long weekend of grilling outside or going to the lake or having a quick much-needed vacation. And that’s great! We should do that. But we all know this weekend is about more than that. We honor all those that gave their lives for the United States in the military. True heroes should be honored and we are grateful for them.

So, while you are doing all that this weekend, spend some time honoring the Hero of Heaven! Just like so many men and women have left their homes to serve and even die for their country that they love, Jesus left the glories of Heaven to die for everybody…including you. And He deserves all the honor and all the glory! How will you celebrate His sacrifice this weekend?

Psalm 99 says, “The Lord reigns…let the nations tremble!”

“God will never give you more than you can handle.” Now, doesn’t that just sound so nice? And sweet? And spiritual? And completely wrong! That’s the wrongest wrong thing that’s ever been wrongly said. If you have been alive for more than a few days, you know that can’t be true. You are attacked by Satan tempting you to sin. You are attacked by Satan with bad things that happen to you. You are attacked by the world for being a believer. And you are attacked by the world even if you aren’t a believer. When will it ever end?

Well, believe it or not, it will end and there will be rewards for those who live according to God’s word. And I can’t wait to talk about it this Sunday morning and evening! This will be our last message focusing on spiritual warfare for a while and I hope you will make plans right now to be there. I love you all! — Todd