A New Beginning

The Lord has wonderfully blessed Monica and me by bringing us here to serve with you at Redemption Fellowship.  For us, this truly is a new beginning.  But I realized something—it’s a new beginning for you as well.  As we have been studying the first chapter of the Book of Joshua, we have discovered that God is a God of new beginnings.

Oh, what a blessing it is to start fresh!  It’s challenging! It’s exciting!  However, it is demanding!  New beginnings force us to dig deep and get involved in the process.  It causes us to focus on what’s important and to make right choices.  Ultimately, it brings us to a greater dependency upon God.

God is up to something new in our midst.  I sense His voice saying to us from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  When I hear these words from Scripture I realize that God Himself spoke them, but that He spoke them to me and to you.  What an awesome promise.

Nonetheless, the success of our journey depends upon all of us.  We know that it is the Lord who makes us successful, yet we do have a part to play.  With that said, I challenge each of us to make a serious commitment to God, each other, and to our church.  Why?  Well, unless you have invested something significant, this journey will not be meaningful to you.

In other words, if you want to accomplish something worthwhile for the Lord then you need to have some skin in the game.  That is, something of high value to you that motivates you.  It has to be something so valuable that it will claim your attention and time, because winning and loosing matters.  Something so valuable that it will cause you to work harder, because you have something at stake.  Something so valuable that it will cause you to fight to the bitter end; it will not allow you to easily walk away.

The Lord has blessed us with ‘A New Beginning,” and we all can be assured of this one truth: Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!”  Let’s honor the Lord with this fresh start that He has graciously bestowed upon us.

The Peace Of Christ Be With You!

~ Pastor Stephan Cobbert,
Senior Pastor, Redemption Fellowship Church

Only A Praise Will Do

As I think to write this note, I have to prepare you with a disclaimer.  Many of you may know that I have Pentecostal upbringings and some who may not know me very well may not believe it because I am not very Pentecostal in my character.  I will say that my thoughts today are from that same background. As we are in the Christmas season and look into the approach of the end of the year, my work reminds me that this time of the year is a very sad time due to the experiences of people.

Sometimes life gets so unbearable that we do not know what to do but we must take a lesson from the great people of faith.  When times are very hard and you may face circumstances that seem to take you down, there is one thing to remember.  When you have done all that you know how to do and that just isn’t enough, you’ve run out of breath and out of time.  The cards are stacked against you in life and you have been pushed back against the wall.  There are times that what you have done has been the efforts along a chain of events that lead you to the place exactly where you should be and you stand at a brick wall stopping you, keeping you back and opposing you and the last hurrah has just been snuffed out.. At That Time…  ONLY A PRAISE Will Do.

KJV Job 1:20: “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped.”

You see this verse as the reaction to the news that Job had lost all of his wealth and the livestock and above all this tragedy his own children were killed in the collapse of the oldest brother’s home.  He tore his clothes and shaved his head and fell down on the ground and … Worshipped.  There are big challenges that we may face and this is truly one of them.  To lose your children all at the same time and to hear the news back to back like this had to compound the misery to an unbearable degree.   He worshipped.

How could he do that you may ask?  That is what he knew to do.  Sometimes Only A PRAISE WILL DO!!    No special tricks to get through the next few hours, no idea that comes to you to save the day.  Not even a special thought comes to you to let you know that the Lord still loves you.  Job was a man who dedicated his life to God like a man/woman who is serious about life would do.  He was real with God and made sure that he had a real connection with God.  He knew that it was his Time.  So at that time I say, ONLY A PRAISE WILL DO!!

The call of Abram was one of great change to a man who may have had much to keep.  When God called him from his father’s home to a place where God would reveal to him, it was much as if God was saying to Abram, “I want you to say good-bye to your future.”  Abram’s living with his father Terah now living in Haran now is challenged to leave that area also.  If Abram were to remain with his father, he would commonly have looked forward to receiving an inheritance but the word from God was to leave his father’s house.  Moving out was no ordinary task in those days.  And as we can see, Terah must have gained much because of the portion that Abram took with himself.  Even though he had such wealth, he had to leave from home and take all he had to move to… somewhere God had not yet revealed.  What do you do with that?  Verse 7 gives clear indication to Abram’s new activity.  He worshipped.

Genesis 12:7, “So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”

As they wandered through the desert, complaining was not an option with the Almighty.  Abram learned to do that common act which we were created to do… Worship.

As we live through the hard places in life and think of this wonderful time of the year, it must occur to us that we are not alone in this life.  The trauma of experience and pain of lost loved ones can be overcome by the very one whom we worship and praise.  The year has come and gone and now we look into the shadow of an unsure unsafe future, but we are reminded that our God goes to great expenses to care for His dear children.  As we move day by day into what we might see as a swell of anxiety, we must hold onto the fact that Christmas was given at a time that was just right for a miracle.  Is your life in great distress at this time?  Only A Praise Will Do…    The practice of the ancients is of great importance when we look at our challenges.   No job and basic necessities running low?  Only A Praise Will Do!

Remember the words to the immortal song:
God rest ye merry, Gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day.
To save us all
From Satan’s power
When we have gone astray
O tidings of Comfort and Joy.

The Old English words of this Christmas Carol are hard to make sure sense of but in short we would translate the words, “God rest ye merry gentlemen,” today to mean, “God make you mighty, gentlemen.”    I encourage you to know that God has come to make us able to tackle the trials of life with a certain vigor and joy.  We are not on this earth as victims of circumstance,  God has come to make us mighty.  God had comforted us in coming to this world and taking on the best efforts of the devil to undo God’s people.

When you feel down this Christmas season… Only A Praise Will Do…  If your life is backed up against the wall.   Only A Praise Will Do.. When you have run your course and have done everything you can.  Only A Praise Will Do…   Keep in mind that when we are at the extreme place in life, God takes opportunity to make a miracle.  Just remember that sometimes all you can do is what you must do, Only A Praise Will Do!!

Only A Praise makes sense.  Only A Praise will give consolation.  Only A Praise will bring good perspective.  God has come to us. He has made a way for us and we praise, honor, adore and love Him because He loved us first.  We are instructed with words of wisdom in 2Kings 17:39, “Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

Don’t let life get the best of you – remember that with God Only A Praise Will Do!  Life is too serious to take it on your own. Call on the Lord and remember.  Only A Praise Will Do!!   Praise God and make your life a wonderful adventure with Him.

May the Loving God of Miracles bless you and yours this Christmas with His astonishing presence and power.
Merry Christmas and A Joyous New Year

~ AP Horace Cutter, Redemption Fellowship Church

A Congregation in Prayer

You might have been present on last Sunday in our worship service where our sanctuary was turned into a great prayer room.  I have been contacted by members and others who were in attendance on last week, who said that they needed that time in prayer with other believers.

If you missed our time together in prayer, I will tell you it was a great time to feel uplifted and supported by our church family in prayer.  The whole place was filled with voices crying out to God and giving thanks for His grace.  I have to say, I cannot take credit for this event.  As I announced at the end of the very abbreviated sermon on prayer from Matthew 6, that the Lord gave me instructions during my time of preparation of the sermon, that this congregation needed to gather together in prayer more so than hearing a sermon on prayer.  So we did.

Some have been asking question about our Faith-NETT movement we have been working on.  That support and agreement and submission that we all experienced was what Faith-NETT is all about.  You see the NETT is the Kingdom of God which is on mission from GOD to tear down the kingdom of Satan and build up the Kingdom of GOD.  If you were there you experienced it by way of support in prayer.  I’ll tell you, that I experienced it by way of submission to the Holy Spirit and God’s will.  That is the way the NETT works.  The NETT is there to catch us and support us after we have gotten “caught up in it”.

I was not set on a breakout group sessions of prayer in Sunday worship but the LORD told me that I needed to trust Him and call for prayer.  I, at first, thought it was just a spiritual idea that carried little specialty.   I began to lean away from the idea more and more.  And as I tried to forget the idea to go on studying the more I was convinced that the Lord was calling me to call for prayer.

So, the LORD really showed me again that He is the comforter and our leader.  I believe that last Sunday was a perfect commercial for the Faith-NETT.  We all were ‘Caught Up in The NETT’ Matthew 13:47.  The Faith- NETT challenged me, caught me, and supported me and then confirmed God’s holy presence in our service.  I cannot take credit.

You may feel weary from well doing … let’s put the Faith-NETT to Work.

Get Caught Up in The NETT!  The Faith-NETT!!  Have a great Day.

~ Assistant Pastor Horace E. Cutter

With All Your Heart

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…” Colossians 3:23

If you have been anywhere near the news lately you have heard the scandal concerning the teachers in the Atlanta Public School System.  It is very disheartening to know that the teachers, that we are entrusting children to at a very important time of their lives, are cheating on the tests scores in order to keep their jobs as teachers.

I imagine there will be much more to find out and other issues to deal with before the whole thing is over.  The one thing that I do have to say is that our teachers need the encouragement of the community that they are regarded as teachers regardless to what the experts say.  Encouraging our teachers is an ongoing task.  After being approved by agencies that we endorse, we must remember that the test will come.  Some think that the test will only come to those working in the Federal Reserve or the movie theater or the new car sales department but we all have the test to face.  The issue is a lot bigger than a person keeping their job, which is a huge responsibility but it is integrity.  We all have that challenge.   God expects people to live their lives with the decision to obey Him first.

One thing that will help us in our walk to be who we are is the fact that we are called by the Lord God to a certain calling.  The great apostle Paul reminds us, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”  Ephesians 4:1

As a responsible theologian I would have to say that the operative word in this passage is ‘call’ because of the context.  But I would like to say that this vocation, work or call is something that has been given to us.  It is not something that has just come about by happenstance.  It has been received by you and me from the Lord.  As we have this calling from God we have to remember to continue to look to God to give us the rules of the game.  Our giftedness comes from God because he wants to minister to others in a certain way.  A teacher’s call is to minister to his/ her students in a wise, relational and yet truthful manner.  When these three aspects of her ministry are discounted… “Houston, we have a problem.”

I know that we must make a living and continue to work to pay our bills but we have to remember, who is the source of the job that we have.  As a Christian, we believe that God is in control of everything that happens.  We have to keep in mind that living a life of integrity is more about honoring God than saving our skin.  Paul was giving encouragement to those who were responsible for their very lives not just their jobs.  In the first century Christians were always challenged by the Jews because Jews had special privileges in the Roman Empire and the Christians, at that time, many of them were Jews.  So that created a whole new problem for them. Certain benefits given by the Empire and taxes being paid were at stake,  Non-Jewish Christians were challenged about their ascent to faith and not reason or the norms of society.  The job of the Apostles was to continue to encourage each believer to remember his/her allegiance to God above their responsibility to man.  The theme is that even though we serve man we have a greater responsibility that is to the creator of the universe who called us to that task in His own way to begin with.

We also must remember that since we have been given this calling by God, there are forces that are at work against God too.  This is where the test will come.  Scripture gives great instruction into this struggle and challenges every Christian to obey God.  Romans 6:12-14 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.  For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Living under grace is much more of an incentive to obey God than living under the law of the flesh and the world that we live in but the enemy would have us all believe that it can’t be done.  But that is where your faith comes into play.  We have all been received into this wonderful family of God by His grace when we realized that life is meaningless without Him, so we must continue to believe that same thought.  God called us into this world to make a difference in the world through us, so our marching orders must come from Him in order to make sense in this world also.  Many times we are not inclined to follow the obvious will of God because we are not sure that He will look out for us in the long run.  That is the problem.  We must keep in mind the allegiance is to God even above ourselves because we do not know the future and He does.  As was said by our Wednesday night teacher, Bro. Robert, last night, “Jesus has sacrificed so much for us, why can’t we give our best for him?”  God expects us to give our best for him because we have given our lives and entrusted our eternity to Him.  He will care for us every step of the way.  Continue to have truth guide you through the trials of life.  Remember that God has your back, in due time you will come out on top.
The last and final aspect of keeping in touch with our integrity is the excitement of doing a good job and knowing that you will be affirmed, accepted and received.  God also gives us this promise through Paul in his letter to the Colossians.

NLT Colossians 3:23-25  “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.  But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.”

I remember years ago, working at a dead-end job, I became very weary of working there because I thought nothing would come of it.  However, one day I was headed into work feeling sorry for myself and these words of Paul came to me.  I resolved to do my work as unto the Lord and guess what immediately things changed.  My own disposition toward the job was different.  I began to make relationships with people that I knew that I never would relate to and God kept his promise because he kept me working at an on-call position steady for 4 years.  After that he helped the employer (a big company), to give me those years as part of my full-time status with the company when I was hired full-time.  That was all the Lord My God working in my favor and not the good graces of the company.

Working at it with all your heart unto the Lord is certainly the way to work because it changes your perspective on the job.  Your outlook for your pay is beyond a paycheck because you realize that God does more for you than give you the ability to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).  God is at the drawing board for you and you can come to the table with Him.  He will not mistreat you and ask you to compromise your Christian commitment.   God is forgiving and so eager to assist you in fulfilling your goal, when it is His goal, which is best for you.

~ Assistant Pastor Horace Cutter

How do we remember them?

Years ago when I was a kid in Rahway, New Jersey, there was a river behind our house.  It was the Rahway River.  Us kids used to like to go to the banks and throw rocks into the river.  The city had put all of these wonderful rocks along the banks for a build up against floods, so we just took it that they wanted us to have more fun… just throwing the rocks.  Whatever way we threw the rock it left a ripple there.  After the rock had sunk out of sight there was still the ripple going out to the ends of the river.  That is how life is.  One life that is lived leaves such an effect upon the world around it that we cannot ignore what has taken place.  So that we ask what impact does one life have upon another?

As a hospice chaplain who has been in various situations with the people that I have served, I have noticed some things about folks that are dying.  First, they do not want to be alone.  Secondly, all of them in their own way have some hope of eternity, which is difficult to explain for someone who says they don’t believe in an afterlife, yet and still it is there.  And lastly, they want to be remembered.  This last element intrigues me as I eulogize people, some of which I have not met until the time of their death.  The Bible gives clear instruction on the idea of memorials.

Both the Old and New Testaments give rituals to examine/observe in order to cope with the loss of a loved one.  In Joshua 4:5 the people of Israel are crossing over the Jordon River and God stopped the river in order for them to cross over on dry ground.  Joshua 4:7 states … “ These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” During the Last Supper, Jesus gives a command for his followers at the last supper.   Luke 22:19 – “This do in remembrance of me.”

In these examples, they set apart specific time for mourning, connected a real life with physical reality, and they called for mourning to done in community.   These are perfect examples of how we should remember those we know and love.

When remembering others:
1)    Give intentional time of remembrance.  Time gives place for the special un-microwavable things to brew/consummate.  Remember in school when you had a friend with a silly idea and you were in class about to laugh but the teacher would not let you be silly just then?  You just couldn’t hold it back.  Some of the funny events or happy times are great for reflecting upon someone who has meant so much to us. Laughter should not be held in and weeping should not be suppressed until it has been realized/ expressed.

2)    Tie the thoughts of loved ones to material elements.  Every person should be remembered in the context of real time.  They lived on this earth, they laughed, loved and made a difference in this place.  They came into contact with a physical world.  Remember the Classic Movie “It’s a wonderful life”  Remember what the angel Clarence said to George in the story?  He said, “Each man’s life touches so many other lives, when he isn’t around it leaves an awful hole doesn’t it.”

*A real life that has been lived.. needs acknowledgement with material substance to connect it with time, our time.

3)    As best you can, share that time of remembrance with someone else with similar feelings.  Gives time for real weeping/mourning and a renewal of who we are and how the lost loved one would want us to go on.  Man was made a spiritual being as well as a physical.  We relate and respond to our surroundings.  The context of memorial is healthy because it gives place for remembering how our loved one related to others, gave of themselves or effected change in our hearts.    Rom 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Thru every phase of life, find healthy ways to cope with events and circumstances through relationships.  This time can also be very effective in building new relationships that help us to continue on in life and not get stuck in mourning.

Conclusion:   What impact does one life have upon another?  As we have been made Mind, Body, Spirit, we give our mind the time to remember how they touched us.  We help our body to adjust to the space they have made in our lives.  And we allow a place for our spirit to connect with others to keep the memory of them alive, forever.

So in the middle of this time of memory we will do it:  In the spirit of a real or sacred time, With the duty of using real material items.  Within the intimacy of real relationships.

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. NLT 1 Thessalonians  5:23

~ Assistant Pastor Horace Cutter

As I got out and about this morning, I continued to hear the reports of the killing of Osama Bin Laden by American Military Forces.  I felt happy and proud to be an American.  After facing the terror in Sept 11, 2001 that we all remember and can look back to cringe over, we are so grateful of the military blood and effort that brought about this great feat.    I also remembered the relief and resultant effect of Adolf Hitler’s death in Germany many years ago.   I was not thought of at the time (my boys would disagree with me) but having an appetite for history for so many years and reading up on the wars we have fought I have found that evil men seem to crop up at their own special time in history.  The only good thing I have to say about evil men coming on the scene is that they give a definite lesson that good and evil do exists.

We have some theologians who try to disclaim the existence of evil.  That is a gross mistake when those scholars look at the present world.  There was a time when scholars of the same thought agreed that the world would get better and better as time went on.  Then we would usher in the Lord Jesus at the end of the cleansing of the ages.  Their hypothesis was weakened by WWI and surely by the second world war that school of academics began to lose any valid stance.

There are still those who claim that we as humans cannot really tell the difference between good and evil.  I like to ask about men like Osama, Hitler, Antiochus Epiphanes (before Jesus’ day) and men who have committed such heinous acts as killing innocent citizens and throwing little infants into the fire for sacrifice.  Most of the level headed people respond to me that those actions are clearly evil acts that God and everyone would condemn.  Then I always ask, “How did you know that those acts are evil?  What is the rule for evil?  They usually say, “Everyone knows that those men were evil, don’t they?”  Then I agree but I also let them know that it was God’s righteous justice that has been placed within us that gives us the knowledge of good and evil.  These men are evil because they dared to play with the justice of God to the point that God Himself reserves His sovereign right to punish them directly.

All of this talk about the evil plots of evil men draws my thought to  Psalm 37 which begins – “Do no fret because of evil men, or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”  You see, we are not the only generation to experience the actions of despicable men.  I would say that every generation has it’s tyrant to put down.  God reminds us through the words of David that evil men do exist and we, as those who understand that they are evil, have the responsibility to stop them.  You see the battle between good and evil continues to live on.  The instruction from God to do good, is a command to all.  It doesn’t matter whether they want to believe or not.  We all know evil when we see it, even in the smallest acts that we do.  But our next response is to remove evil and replace it with good.  We are not perfect but we can do what we know as good.   The Psalm goes on to say, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”  God’s word continues on to say that moving down the road to envy and anger will end up in one becoming evil.  God deals with the evil.  He places His mark upon those who have pushed beyond the limit of rehabilitation or restoration to receive condemnation directly from Him.  Don’t believe it, huh.  Let’s talk about Pharaoh and the Israelites.  In Exodus 7:3-4 the Lord instructs Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to the words of Moses because he has not listened up until now and therefore God would harden the man’s heart so that he will not obey.  You see, Pharaoh pushed past the point of no return.  God held him for His own personal punishment and not just the justice of mere men but God Himself.

Now let’s talk just for a moment about this idea of not celebrating the death of someone who caused so many others pain and death.  I heard some interviews put forth the thought that we should not be happy that Osama is dead.  Many 21st century people are of the thought that anyone can be rehabilitated, and that is what we should have tried to do.  I cannot agree with this thought.  Remember Exodus 15?  This great song of praise is because God had rendered judgment upon Pharaoh and his men by killing them in the Red Sea.  Praise and thanks to God was in order.  What about Revelation 19 where there is a great shouting of praise for the demolishing of Satan upon the earth?  Our cry of praise to God for our military troops is only a small portion of the great cry of people of all centuries who have had to see evil men put down, just because they did not repent at some time and they became enemies of man and eventually of God Himself.  We are always to do good and put down evil.  Prov. 11:10 says, “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;  when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.”  Shouts of joy are in order because of the providential nature of creation and results of those who engage in evil and good actions.

It only makes good sense to shout for joy at the death of the wicked because if not we could not justify the joy and happiness that we have when we see someone do something good.  We want good to prevail because God is good and His goodwill is spread throughout the world when we see it.  We should protest the evil because its premise and drive is to remove good and cause more pain and anguish among the inhabitants of the world.  Remember the ‘Godfather Saga’?  While ‘The Don’, the Godfather, was planning and doing evil and involved in organized crime, he wanted his little children and wife kept away from the business.  Why? Because it was against the good of his family to be wrapped up in the crime of the Gangs.  You see evil knows that good is against them but it’s really for them.  So they try to secure some last remnant of good, even within the evil life they promote.

That is why we need to remember that good will benefit many while evil will drag some down all while placing some in exceptionally good places.  God, the author of good and the one who knows the rotten intentions and painful consequences of evil continues to admonish us to do good because He Himself commands good people everywhere to call out evil and, in certain serious cases, judges evil on the personal level.  Remember the Edmond Burke quote, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”  Edmond Burke understood that we must strive to do good just as God has instructed because evil will eventually come about and when that happens we must take evil down.

So wherever you are and whatever you do remember that all the good you can do is not only to say that you are doing good but also to proclaim and brick by brick, tear the Devil’s Kingdom down.   Do good and be glad when evil is brought down.

~ Assistant Pastor Horace Cutter

Life of the Body—In the Body

All communities hold and have a certain flavor to them whether in the suburbs, the outer rim of the county or even in the center of an urban jungle.  When people look at their community, they find that they have a familiar tone which the participants of that community contribute to and/or take away from it.  If someone comes into the community and wants to connect with the community, he must decide to determine the tone of the community before he can make a clear interaction with it.

That interaction could be a huge impact upon it or maybe a subtle impression but if that person is to install his human personal impression upon the people there he will need to understand/respect the tone of the community.  We all dwell in communities, we just don’t always see it that way.  Sometimes it is geographic at other times it may be around similar interest, like bicycling or computer building but the people connecting in the community will have a certain sense of missing something that identifies them if they lose serious contact with it.  At Redemption Fellowship church we have a community of people that desire to lift the name of the Lord and to love each other.   While here at Redemption I believe that any person who wants to connect with the community they must find the flavor of the community and determine whether it is favorable to them for spiritual enhancement, social affirmation and a place of security and support when the need arises.  That is why I wanted to ask myself, why do I attend this church?  I must do so in order to look forward to joining a system or community that will bring these things in view for me and my family.

Why do I attend Redemption Fellowship Church?
1.    I must belong to a community of believers.  As a conscientious Christian, I believe that I must as a rule of life dwell in a community of believers who profess the same Lord as I do.  Even if I attend a church that does not consign doctrinally to my own preferential emphasis, I must find others who proclaim Christ as Lord and who see Christ as the center of all life and work.  This is a must for any Christian because as you have heard me say a person can be no stronger than the community or group that they connect themselves to.   As a child of God I look for His children to connect or covenant with in order to find support for my family, our spiritual growth and healthy relationships in the family of God.  I must belong to a healthy community of believers.  Look at Acts 2:44-46:  All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.   Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

The believers met together even though they met at the temple courts they also met and broke bread (communion) in one another’s homes.  These people saw a need to come together while they came to the temple for practical purposes of their Jewish week.  I meet with the folks at Redemption because I have a similar interest with them in lifting the name of Jesus above every name on earth.  I love the worship service and the real fellowship with others that helps me to be real also.

2.    I believe God moves sovereignly to promote His purpose that turns out to be for my goodwill.  When my family moved back to Atlanta, which was the plan, we moved within the neighborhood of Redemption.  I always remember that when we yield ourselves to God, He sovereignly moves to promote His plan.  I am a part of that plan as well as Redemption Fellowship church.  The Lord of the universe has no problem getting me in a proper proximity to the church where He wants me to serve, that was no coincidence.  I believe that God moved when I may have thought it was me.  But it was Him.  My plan came together because it was His will for my family to move so close to Redemption.  Sometimes we feel that we have to seek, and plead and beg God to move us into His will.  Remember, God is all-powerful, He sustains all life upon the earth maintains the entire galaxy.  It is a minor and simple task to make things line up for you in His will.  His will is what He wants.  As we yield ourselves to His leading and do not proceed to push square pegs into round holes in our lives, He will get me to His will, remember Romans 12: 1-3: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.   Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God’s will is perfect but we must conform to a mindset that glorifies Him and seeks to follow His command.  That is when our lives will be guided by the Lord to bring us into an understanding of His will.  I am commonly put to task about knowing the will of God, I usually give the same answer, “If you honor God, He will honor you.”  Some things God will tell us when we are attempting to follow his will because it is his pleasure but other things God will not let you in on.  That is why our faith is so important.  God wants our trust because we think we need to know from Him what the plan is.  His plan is for you to be obedient to Him.  He can get you from point A to point B without a hitch.  Just trust Him and see.

3.    I would love to see people come to Christ as a result of my straining in ministry in this church.  Notice that I didn’t say that I would love to see people come to Christ at my church.  I want to be a vital part of their coming to Christ because as a collective body that is what the church does.  But why at Redemption?  Is there some special aspect to the church that causes me to want them to come there?  Yes, because I know the people are sincere and love each other.  They are not perfect, yes we have times that people get on each other’s nerves and we all understand that, that is what real friends do.  But the test of that relationship is not how we get along but, when it comes to asking for and giving forgiveness what happens.  Do I know that they love me enough to challenge me for my good and not their own preference?  That is the thing I must ask myself.  I believe that it is a healthy environment where people can grow in following the Lord.  I must sweat and strain in ministry in order to build into that community the things that are needed to prepare people to follow Christ.  That is why I strain the great apostle Paul said in Phil 3:12-14  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.

I must give it my all because it means the community will be healthier,  the community needs me to engage in it so that it will be all that God has called it to be then I find out why God brought me here and what I’m supposed to be doing otherwise.

4.    I have made dear friends in ministry that are here for a common goal.  Making good friends is a chore if you have been attempting to do so you will agree.  I have made some wonderful friends at Redemption and know that they have me in prayer and seek my progress in the Lord.  As I said before I gauge the health of my friends on the level of love we have for each other in just wanting to be together and the more apt we are to forgive each other for our offences.  Offences are great and they really hurt but most of the time they are due to misunderstanding.  If I am praying for my brother or sister then I will have an emotional connection that will not let me hold it against them when they mistreat me unintentionally.  Col 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Healthy friends and family depends upon the commitment they have to Christ ahead of me.  I am committed to forgive them and they have the same conviction.  The true relationship to friends is very important I hold that as a necessity for growth.  I am here at Redemption because I am a Christian that loves praise to the king, I have a call to fulfill, I submit to the sovereignty of God and because I have friends.  Hope that you will make some of the same needful thoughts to make sure that Redemption is the place for you and commit to its growth in following Our Lord.

~ Assistant Pastor Horace Cutter

Devotional:  Pray for the people of Japan

Text: Isa 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts  are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Discussion: We are all praying for the people in Japan.  They have experienced a double disaster.  May the glorious God of mercy and security, rescue the lives, hearts and minds of those who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 3-10-11.   Our Father in Heaven has the peace and providence to help each person to come to the knowledge of His gracious presence at this terrible time.

When we read scripture we sometimes assume that the people in the Bible days were exempted from some of the perils of life that we face.  We see God working many miracles through those that he called and we say, “God was at work in those days.”  But we must remember that God is always at work.  He works in the middle of what we face to first bring about His glory, and then to confirm His covenant with His people, and lastly to define for us what is good, right, and true in His world.  Sometimes we forget that God’s world has been here thousands of years before we were born.  As I pray for many of my patients, who are soon to leave this world, “Lord, you have been caring for Mr. X way before I was even born, so I join in with his prayer for you to continue to care for him today.”  Working with those whose age makes you seem like a youngster humbles you everyday….

The Bible days are numbered and dated with historical events that give us a clear understanding that we are not the only ones who face the terror of natural disasters.  In the book of Amos 1:1, we see a reference to a terrible earthquake that happened (760 B.C.) during the reign of Uzziah the king of Judah 790-750 B.C. The reference is not given as a judgment as most would think, but as a place marker in time.  It gives us validation that God keeps track of time also, just not the way we do.  Zechariah 14:5 also gives his proclamation in reference to the time of this great earthquake yet he lived about 200 years later about 520-480 B.C.  This must have been a terrible time that all remembered because of the reference to what happened.  God allowed it to carry a place in time for reference to His activity and what the prophet proclaimed.  It is like the person that has a year blocked out of his memory because of some traumatic event that changed his life.  The prophet could refer to this time and say, “Remember the great earthquake?”  God is not depending upon man to keep time for Him.

You may have times in your life when you cannot remember the year but you remember an event that devastated you and changed your life forever.  God has place holders in time that will assist us in looking back at his time of great revelation and when we could do nothing but lean heavily upon Him.  That is what we must pray for the people of Japan.   Pray that the peace of God will be with them through the trauma but also that lives will be changed to look to Him for help in times of trouble.

Conclusion: As you hear of reports from Japan… Remember to Pray for those who face tough times and someone will remember you in your day of trouble.  God is still with us as we face the torrents of the history that we live collectively and personally.

~ Assistant Pastor Horace Cutter

Here are my Christmas Eve 2010 musings about my time as pastor at Redemption Fellowship: Obviously these are just a few things:

1. God will get the job done with or without you; but He wants to use you, so let Him do it.

2. What works in your last church, won’t necessarily work in the present one.

3. People are pressed for time, so church has to speak to them to hold their attention.

4. Leaders must be courageous; they must make hard decisions.

5. Pastors must surround themselves with people who will speak biblical truth into their lives; ”yes men” will eventually drop you like a safe.

6. Preach expositional sermons that break down the Word into bit size, easily applicable units.

7. The addictions to wealth, sex, power, education, self centeredness, culture, pride and “me-ism” are ”giants” in the land that must be interpreted within the present context and dealt with according to the Word of God.

8. If you don’t fight for passion in your marriage, you and your spouse will become casualties of intramarital junk.

9. If parents don’t train their primary children in the Word of God, when those children hit their teens and twenties they will be “toast.”

10. If you are a young, single Christian female, find out how God wants you to live. Search the Scriptures for yourself; you are smart enough to get it just like God says it.

11. If you are a young, single Christian male, find out how God wants you to live. Search the Scriptures for yourself; you are smart enough to get it just like God says it.

12. If you are a Christian between 40 and 95, you are the mentors and examples for the folks in 10 and 11 above. Do you know what the Word of God says? Will you help God help these young ones?

Former Sr. Pastor Mike

I was watching You Tube today and came across the Casting Crowns singing “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” which is a hauntingly powerful tune about the ultimate triumph of God’s peace and love over humanity’s anxieties and despair. That song is what Christmas is all about–Macy’s and WalMart don’t come close. Anyway, one of the comments under the video said, “I wish I believed in god” (little “g”). I replied to the writer of the comment with “I hope God grants your wish.” Then I went into the sanctuary and asked God to answer their “prayer.” I am so glad that Jesus called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Former Sr. Pastor Mike Higgins