The Connection Church

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him...” 2 Chronicles 16:9

Over the years, many have taught that God is always looking down to punish. But is that really the Lord’s heart? The verse above reveals that God looks for ways to defend and show His strength on behalf of those who are committed to Him. So if we love God with all that is within us, He will give us the strength we need in every facet of life!

Enjoy this special message from our friend and special guest speaker, Mark Shell. We always have a wonderful time when he visits, so don’t miss out.

Life is hard. We encounter trials of various kinds—some minor, some heartbreaking. When we find ourselves wading through the rivers of sorrow, it’s hard to hold fast to God’s goodness. That’s why we need to be regularly reminded that God is So Good! That he is always faithful. That he’s on our side. That he is 100% for us.

Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” God is good because that’s simply who He is. And because God, by His very nature, is good, we can be absolutely sure that he will pour out goodness on us for our entire lives. The revelation of His goodness will always lead us to declaring He is “So Good!”

Pastor TJ picks up where he left off last week in our exploration of the 43rd chapter of Isaiah, as we continue receiving the truth that God holds us, protects us, guards us, and cares for us, and thus we have Nothing to Fear!

The 43rd chapter of Isaiah opens with these encouraging words: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” Knowing that we belong to the Lord is an empowering answer to fear. We can know that He holds us, protects us, guards us, and cares for us.

With God, we have Nothing to Fear!

It is written in Isaiah 40:3, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength…” God’s desire is to give strength to all of His people because He doesn’t want you to live in a continuous weakened state. God’s plan for you is freedom from heavy burdens that weigh you down, victory over the enemy, and Renewed Strength from the Lord!

It’s easy for us to take on burdens we shouldn’t bear. The concerns of this life are many, but Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29) When we truly give our burdens over to the Lord, we will discover The Power of Resting.

We examine the last of John’s three letters and conclude this sermon series, Letters to Humanity. John’s second and third letters apply the principles of 1 John, which test love and true faith in Christ to specific situations. In 2 John, the situation involved traveling teachers who did not confess truth about Jesus. The “elect lady” was not to extend hospitality to them. In 3 John, the situation also involved hospitality. This time involving three characters: Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius and their response to the trials in proclaiming the truth in love with the issues of fellowship and hospitality.

We examine the second of John’s three letters as we near the end of this current sermon series, Letters to Humanity. Adam Clarke said, “This epistle is more remarkable for the spirit of Christian love which it breathes than for anything else.” It speaks of walking in truth and the importance of guarding the truth that we have in Christ.