“God’s Dwelling Place” #5 by: Suzanne Teuben, Director of High School Ministry

“I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:32-33

Hopefully you recall the lesson from week 2 of this series because it brought new light to this passage of scripture for me. Jesus is addressing the disciples after they asked if He was going to give them a miraculous sign such as the manna given to Moses and the Israelites in the desert. As if feeding the five thousand and walking on water were not signs enough, the disciples had the audacity to ask for more. In response Jesus says, well, actually I have something even better to offer you; Myself, the true bread of heaven.

"God’s Dwelling Place" #4 by: Suzanne Teuben, Director of High School Ministry

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14

I’m hoping that many of you had the opportunity to have your feet washed at the special service on May 3rd. Jesus addressed this topic with His disciples; in fact, He washed His disciple’s feet and then instructed His disciples to do the same for one another. I’m wondering how you felt having your feet washed by one of our humble servants and how they felt as well?

Lamentations 3:22-26 Devotion by: Council Member Patrice Parker

"Because of the Lord’s gracious love we are not consumed, since his compassions never end. They are new every morning – great is your faithfulness! “The Lord is all I have.” says my soul, “therefore I will trust in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who searches for him. It is good to hope and wait patiently for the Lord’s salvation." Lamentations 3:22-26

Every day I read more of God’s manual for my life. His word is becoming so important in my life. It is a constant reminder of his grace, love and my faith in what he promises. I feel very much like an infant at times with the sheer wonder of it all, the newness and amazement of what he has chosen to share with me. I feel him working constantly in my life and am always amazed at what I discover.

“God’s Dwelling Place # 3 by: Suzanne Teuben, Director of High School Ministry

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:9-15

Just as each of the building materials in the passage above has significance, so do those used to build the tabernacle. God gave very specific instructions to the builders; 50 chapters worth between the first five books of the Bible and the book of Hebrews. Today we will focus on the six building materials listed above, which can be separated into two categories. The first group contains the materials that can withstand fire: gold, silver, and costly stones. The second group contains the opposite, those that can be easily destroyed or burned in the fire: wood, hay, or straw.

“Harvest Workers” – Covenant Series

“Ask the Lord for the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9:38

I have been praying two things today. One, “Lord, ignite a fire for evangelism in us. Not just witnessing in the classic sense, but real relational sharing about hope and redemption, about sin and separation, about God’s plan for individuals and as His church.”
Two, I am praying for that fire to ignite in me; not just my role as pastor, but Fred as a human being who has something valuable to share, evidenced by something real about me that cares and is led by the Spirit to turn conversations toward Christ. I often have divine appointments that lead to invitations to come to church, or that lead to giving biblical counsel, but not so often about Jesus Himself. That concerns me. He is the Lord of the harvest right? The verse says so. It is His harvest field, right? Verse says that too. So if I am a willing worker for Him, how do we get started? Ahhh, the prayer part.

“Lord, use me in whatever way to advance your Kingdom today, to be your salt and light and lift you up so you can draw people to yourself. Help me not to be a hindrance to your work in people’s hearts, to listen and share and care in such a way that people come to you for salvation, renewal, re-dedication or inspiration. Lord, send me today, and send whoever else can be used by you.”

"Memorial Day" by: Council Member, Patrice Parker

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3-4

Memorial Day is traditionally the day on which we remember the ultimate sacrifice of a member of the military. The giving of their life. I spent a bit of time looking at statistics. How many people have given their life since the inception of our country? More than 1.4 million.. Take a deep breath and give that a bit of thought. That is the number of people that gave their life so that I could write this devotional. It will be posted on the website for Grace Harbor Church and School and ultimately could be read by anyone that wants to read it. Those 1.4 million people died to protect my right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I can come to Grace Harbor any Sunday or for that matter any day that I want, and worship because those people fought for my right to do that. They didn’t know me, I didn’t know them but they gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life.

“God’s Dwelling Place” # 2 by: Suzanne Teuben, Director of High School Ministry

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.’” Exodus 16:4-5

This passage was the main focus of day 4 of the second week of our study and the connections drawn by Beth Moore literally blew my mind! The “bread from heaven” in verse 4 is commonly referred to as manna and was one of God’s ways of meeting the physical needs of the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years. God chose to provide this manna as daily nourishment for His children but He did not tell them to collect a set amount but instead, to collect exactly what they needed for that day. In fact, verse 18 says, “and when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as they needed.” Each person gathered exactly what he needed, meaning each portion size was unique to that person’s individual need for that day. The manna is much like the mercy God provides each of us every morning (Lamentations 3:32-33). He knows exactly what you and I need to make it through today and if we ask, our portion will be there in the morning waiting to be gathered. Two conditions though: you have to ask and you have to gather. Some mornings we feel too unworthy or make up excuses as to why we can’t go to our Father and ask Him to meet our needs. How can a Dad provide for His children if they do not open their hands and ask? My prayer for each and every one of you is that you would ask for God’s love and mercy daily, however much you need to get through today. And you may not know how much you need, in fact, you can’t know because you don’t know what is ahead of you but good thing you are asking the only One who knows. Know that He wants to and will meet your needs so, ask expectantly.

“Walk in the Light of the Lord” Devotion by: Council Member, Patrice Parker

"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness." Psalm 89:15-16

Interesting how life can be. In the midst of chaos, drama and what sometimes can be called the normal day to day stuff we forget where our focus needs to be. That is because new habits are hard to come by and we tend to want to deal with our everyday stuff ourselves.

"GOD'S NOT DEAD" by: Council Member Gerry Mouzis

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:1-5

Many of us have seen the 2014 feature film entitled "God's Not Dead." For those who have not, I highly recommend it. While there are a number of sub-plots and messages tied thereto, the basic theme of the movie centers on a debate between a college philosophy professor, who is an atheist, and a young freshman student, who is a Christian. As the title indicates, the debate involves whether God is actually dead.

“God’s Dwelling Place” Week 1 by: Suzanne Teuben, Director of High School Ministry

“Then have them [the Israelites] make a sanctuary for me [God], and I will dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8

Over the past ten weeks, a small group of GHCS women worked through a Beth Moore Bible Study titled, A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place, and we all learned a great deal of insight into the significance of the Tabernacle as it relates to God’s children now. With the conclusion of the study, I decided there was too much gold to not share it with you all. While it is a study geared towards women, it is applicable to all Christ-followers. My goal with this devotional series is to condense 5 days of homework (times 10 weeks) into a few paragraphs filled with some meat and potatoes, if you will (reference to Pastor Fred’s sermon on 3/26). Much like our personal experience of salvation, Beth Moore began the study by pointing out the depravity of mankind. She referenced Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1-13), the flood & Noah’s Ark (Gen 6:1-9:17), and the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9); stories revealing man’s sinful nature from the very beginning of creation. It isn’t until we are faced with our own sinfulness that we recognize our need for a Savior. What purpose would a Savior serve if we had no need of saving?

"HARMONY"

“So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” Romans 14:19 (NLT)

Just like in music, harmony is better than discord. Harmony is not easy nor does it happen automatically. It takes spacing, timing and practice. Note, in this verse we are to aim at it and try to build each other up. We, by nature tend to tear each other down and often miss the target of harmony for lack of effort to take aim at it. As I have said before, church would be easier without the humans. But alas, we are the Body of Christ, an organism, and not a robot or machine that is just an organization. One of the most discordant things that is pervasive in all churches is gossip. Gossip destroys unity, creates disharmony and aims to cause trouble and tries to dismantle God’s work among us.

"HOW TO REPENT"

"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm." Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV)

Repenting is not easy. First, we must admit our sin to ourselves, then be contrite, then confess, then sincerely, reckon with ourselves and truly turn around. We are prone to acknowledge a slight problem, if we can’t ignore it, or cover it up, or deny, or pretend it didn't really happen, or actually hurt anybody, then own up to as little as possible and maybe alter our course enough to appear sincere. God desires and deserves transparency, honesty and forthrightness. The little “sorry” games we play with each other are shallow with God. We must turn to Him, face Him, wholeheartedly with a sacrificial attitude, feeling our failure, and aware of the pain we cause. God wants our hearts to be torn, so we empathize with others personally. Not just on the surface or with lip service, but with heart felt sorrow. God is so kind and long-suffering, it convicts me to repent. I don’t want to be trouble or spread it. I don’t want to avoid my issues and misstep. I must desire to make amends. When I do, God can move and work and bring peace and restoration.

"LOVE ONE ANOTHER" Covenant Series

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

Grace Harbor Church has a Church Membership Covenant that explains how and why we should conduct ourselves as the Body of Christ. It is divided into four sections that talk about unity, responsibility, ministry and testimony. I am going to write a series of devotionals about each of the verses used to undergird those principles.

“INSEPARABLE LOVE”

“neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

In verse 37 we are told that we are more than conquerors through Christ. In verse 38 we are told that death, life, angels, principalities, the past or future can’t separate us from God’s love. Then in verse 39 it gets real practical, in the physical realm. Imagining Him conquering time, angels powers, and eternity sounds spiritually reassuring of how high and low we get and even more our fellow created beings can’t separate us from God’s love, including ourselves. Aren’t we and our interaction with each other what really makes us doubt God’s love the most? I really don’t face as many supernatural battles as I do natural ones. Granted there are real spirit realm battles, I believe that I think we are so easily defeated in the day to day life between our ears and in our normal experiences, that paranormal manifestations aren’t even needed. I think if we creatures would remind one another more often of our victories rather than reminding each other of our weaknesses or defeats, we would conquer even more.

"ABOUT OUR LEADERS"

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17

Following leadership is not only a good management principle, but also a Biblical principle. As the lead pastor of a “congregational rule” church, I am in a very interesting position. A “congregational rule” church is one where the final decision-making power rests in the Covenant membership of the church. Meaning, the church body as a whole is my employer. Additionally, the congregation has a constitution and by-laws that is required of non-profits in the State of California that has granted supervisorial responsibility over my job performance to our Church Council. This means I both lead and follow the Council and subsequently the congregation. Which means I must both give and take directions. In the corporate world C.E.O.’s have a similar relationship with their Board of Directors and subsequently, the stock holders. The difference being that in the church we are all under the authority also and primarily of God and His Word. So, we should be mutely submissive, obedient, and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything, a delicate, but blessed balance which is a joy and not a burden, advantageous to us all when done in humility and unity.

"BRING BACK THE TABLE"

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions." Matthew 11:18-19

You know the saying, “Danged if you do, danged if you don’t!” Frankly, John wasn’t at all about food and as the one who was preparing the Way, he was perfectly aligned with God’s will. Jesus, on the other hand was all about food. He was constantly sitting at tables with people, eating.

"GOD IS KING!"

"And the kingdom will be the LORD's." Obadiah 21b

Obadiah. Shortest book in the Old Testament. Obadiah is given a vision. His indicting words from the Lord are a reminder to peoples, nations, and individuals about not presuming upon the blessing and protection of the Lord. The indictment is aimed specifically against Edom and Esau’s people. The stinging words are not so much a warning, but a judgement. Edam and Esau’s will be destroyed. I think I have boiled it down to three reasons.

"Mother's Day" by: Council Member Patrice Parker

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and it will be a difficult time this year for many in our Grace Harbor family.

The Ten Commandments By: Council Member Ron Hodge

Exodus 20:2-17 NKJV

1. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me."