Gnosticism was still in its “infancy” when John wrote this letter to his readers. Nevertheless, even though their false beliefs had not yet been fully extended, there were enough early beliefs seeping into the churches. This confusion among professing Christians displayed itself in such a way that spawned sinful acts that ran totally counter to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it had to be completely purged from the early church. Below I will present the very basic elements of Gnostic teaching. As you will see these false teachings clearly have the deceiver’s (Satan) fingerprints all over them (1Tim. 4:1) 

Here are the very basic elements of their false beliefs.

1.   Influenced by Greek Thinking, (Plato’s) matter is evil but spirit is good. With that as one’s pervasive presupposition, why would the Spirit of Jesus ever take on sinful flesh because matter is evil (incarnation) Spirit is good. So, they proffered that the incarnation of Jesus was that his body “appeared” like flesh, but it wasn’t real.  Others claimed that the Spirit of Christ ascended upon Jesus at his baptism but departed before he was crucified. As a result, some concluded that they could sin all they wanted because sin was part of their flesh and not their Spirit.   

2.   Some asserted that because they were initiated into the “Christian faith” that they no longer sinned (1 Jn. 1:8).

3.   Others believed that their knowledge of God removed sin as even a possibility for the “Christian” (1 Jn. 1:10).

Thus we have dangerous (even spiritually lethal) assertions. And as I stated above, these false beliefs must be purged from the True Church of Christ Jesus.

And this was what John had to clear up for his beloved (1 Jn. 2:1) readers.

Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil —

Greetings! And a blessed Thanksgiving to all. No doubt, we’ve either heard it said or stated it ourselves, that we should be thankful for our many blessings all year long and not encapsulate them to just one day a year. Trite as it may sound, that statement is true! Many of us keep a “Gratitude Journal” that helps us count our blessings everyday and in so doing, enables us to develop a heart of thankfulness every day. It doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to find something or someone we are thankful for. I would like to share a reading that has helped me to maintain this proper perspective when I realize I’ve stepped off the path.

Fulfillment Now

A beautiful, fulfilled life requires nothing more than what you already have. Fulfillment depends solely on your decision to accept and experience it, in the moment where you are.

There are some achievements that may take a lifetime to reach. Yet at any point along the way, from the very moment you begin, you can know fulfillment.

Reaching any goal is a matter of commitment, discipline, intention and effort. Fulfillment itself is immediate, for it is a matter of knowing that you are living true to your highest purpose.

Do not become trapped by measuring success based on what you’ve already done or failed to do. Learn to see that fulfillment is entirely a function of how you are feeling and thinking and acting right now.

Your past cannot hold you back and your future cannot intimidate you, unless you allow it. This moment has every possibility of being the most fulfilling time you’ve ever known.

Your life is infinitely more wonderful than any possession or event or circumstance that you can imagine. And somewhere inside, you know it.

Warm Regards,
Pastor Dan Spaulding

Life can be very joyous and filled with much happiness …. our loving relationship with family, friends and, most of all, a renewed relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. In the NT Sometimes Jesus used the term “ABBA” Father. That description can be equated with our term “Daddy” (yes it can).

In this two part series, The Myth Of Unanswered Prayer, yy desire was to convey the truth that God does indeed answer our every prayer (as some of you expressed) YES, NO, or WAIT. Admittedly ”no” and “wait” can be excruciatingly difficult. And intermingled with the joy of life is inevitable pain. But that doesn’t mean God has changed in His love for his children. When I step up to the pulpit to preach I recall a phrase (I cannot remember its source) but it’s this, “In every pew there’s at least one broken heart”. Are you hurting or struggling with something? If you are a child of God, then run to the open arms of your Heavenly Father (Daddy) and feel His strong embrace…. pour out your heart to Him because He loves you.

As I am preparing Sunday’s sermon, “The Myth Of Unanswered Prayer,” I do so with gladness – gladness because I believe it will clarify many questions folks have regarding this subject. I always strive to maintain personal transparency as a pastor both in my life and preaching – and Sunday’s message is no exception to that rule. I too have wrestled with questions regarding God’s answers to some of my prayers and some of life’s circumstances.

Nevertheless, my delight in writing and preaching this sermon springs from the following premise: to misunderstand God’s answers to prayer is to misunderstand God – who He is, what He is like, and how He works. I do not sit in an “ivory tower” untouched by the various difficulties of life, but God has called me to preach and teach and that is what I will do. And, in the process, I trust that God’s Word will offer listeners hope, understanding, comfort, and joy.

Join us on Sunday for the start of this two week sermon series. I personally invite you, and look forward to seeing you then.
Blessings, Pastor Dan

We had the privilege of celebrating 65 years of marriage for Pastor Paul and Maritea Deal. It was so refreshing to be a part of that! In our message, we cited the Apostle Paul’s words from:
(1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8a)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails…..
Even though we will never reach perfection as we strive to live these virtues out in our everyday lives, there is Joy in the Journey! And moreover, through the power within us (the Holy Spirit) – we can and will embody more and more the words of Paul. It is also worth noting that this is the way Christ loves His “Bride” the Church (Eph. 5:25 ff).
In the closing of our message, we touched on the most common misunderstanding of love that plagues our culture today. That is, understanding that Love is not a FEELING, Love is a CHOICE! So many times I hear as a pastor, “We don’t love each other anymore …. or, “We’ve fallen out of love.” That cannot happen if we choose to Love.
I think of Carol King’s song, “It’s Too Late” as an example (I know it’s a 70’s song and I’m quoting from memory)). ” … And it’s too late baby now, it’s too late, though we really did try to make it – something inside has died and I can’t hide it I just can’t fake it.” “There will be good times again for me and you, but we just can’t stay together can’t you feel it too … but I’m glad for what we had and how I once loved you.”
If we FEEL our love has faded in our marriages – or worse, has totally “died” CHOOSE to love unconditionally. Put into practice the passage quoted above and do it consistently, every day – then the FEELINGS will follow.

For a time some believed that the Universal Church, by spreading the good news of Jesus Christ via  missionaries in foreign lands, and sharing the truth of reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ in our great nation, that our world would incrementally be transformed in an upward spiral to the point of ushering in the Kingdom of God and setting up Christ’s reign and rule in righteousness. However, after a couple of world wars, this belief faded from view.

But we mustn’t live with a sense of defeated hopelessness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is alive and well – and (through the work and power of the Holy Spirit) it is powerful to change individual lives and communities. This hope doesn’t stop at the boarders of our great land, but all over the world. Hear the words of Paul:

Col 1: 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints– 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

Someone has said:

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers and it was not there …….. in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there …….. in her rich mines and her vast world commerce- and it was not there …….. in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there.   Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

Let us be proactive …. go forward … and do what we as a church have been called to do.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8 NIV)