Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Well, consider this for a moment if you would; the Bible says in Romans 3:10-12, As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.” (Also see Psalm 14:1–3; 53:1–3)

Ecclesiastes 7:20 reads, "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” Therefore, the question of bad things happening to good people is not helpful or relevant for there are no "good" people.

The Psalmist asks, "Why do good things happen to bad people?" "Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Ps 73:1–3)

Even when it seems like the wicked are prospering, we must remember that they are not escaping the justice of the Lord. As the Psalmist Asaph realized, "When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end." (Ps 73:16–17)

So, no matter what is happening to us or others, we can know that God has a sovereign plan even when we, like the Psalmist Asaph, do not get it. Remember to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Mt 28:18–20.

Because of this, it is important to note we are not called to "make Christians" or "plant churches." We are called to make loyal and educated disciples who follow after Jesus with all they are—heart, soul, mind, and strength.

A local church is an assembly of disciples loving God and one another. Yes, the local church has order and organization, as we see in the New Testament. Much of this is from Paul. (ordered disciples) The universal Church is the worldwide Church of the disciples who love God and one another.

The commitment to follow Jesus as their master in Antioch led to the formation of a missional church that reached deep into the Roman Empire and beyond. But it all started with a healthy Jesus community committed together to seeing the world won to Jesus. These are our ancestors of the faith, and we can learn a lot from them still today.

References:

Psalm 19:7

Matthew 18:2-3

Acts 3:19

Ps. 51:13

I do not think we realize how close we came to the early Church; the body of loyal disciples came to become another Jewish sect. By the way, there were a lot of them. We are only familiar with a handful of the seventy or so in the first century in our New Testament studies.

So, the gospel being confirmed and witnessed so clearly by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Samaritan in Acts 8 and the Gentiles in Acts 10 is crucial for our understanding of the Gospel in our context. Luke seems to think so, and so does Peter.

But here is the rub. We seem to see more and more division among Christians in our culture today over countless issues that are not Bible-related. Although on "paper" we are the one Church, the reality of division because of bitterness and anger is devastating to the mission of the church. We are once again on the razor’s edge.

Consider the warning in James 4:1-4 "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Come join us this weekend at watersprings as we dive into God’s Word. We will be in Matthew 25:1-13 learning about the parable of the 10 virgins! Hope to see you there. Maranatha Lord Jesus!

How have you ever heard someone say that someone needs to, "Step up to the plate!" This is a literal statement from baseball because you can't hit the ball unless you step up to the plate and take your shot! It has also become an idiomatic expression that means taking initiative and responsibility for behaviors or challenges.

Paul writes, in Galatians 6:4-5, "But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. (Literally - For we are each responsible for our own conduct.) Romans 14:12 says, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."

We all must answer two imperative questions. Who are we? Why are we here? The narrator at the end of Ecclesiastes of makes the point. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Remember the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. In other words, you are the child of God; step up to the plate.

References:

Ephesians 6:4

2 Timothy 3:16–4:2

Colossians 3:21

Proverbs 18:22

Genesis 2:18

Have you ever considered not only what you believe, but also why you believe what you believe? Tonight we will look into the necessity of understanding your worldview, the questions that are absolutely necessary to ask and answer in order to better understand why you believe what you believe.

Hosea 11:1-9

God in the Old Testament is often misunderstood. Many believe the God of the Old Testament is an angry and mean God as opposed to the New Testament God who is loving and forgiving. But the God of the Old is the same God found in the New. God doesn’t change. God’s love and forgiveness are demonstrated in both Testaments and they’re the same. Come this weekend and hear Pastor Tim unpack “The Incomprehensible Love of God” from the Old Testament prophet Hosea.