Central Christian

Before and After…everyone loves those pictures! Before the remodel and AFTER Chip & Joanna (or Franklin & Marea) do their magic on it…those are the photos the fans want to see! We see what a dump it was before we got inside there. All the old paneling, popcorn ceilings, tiny doors and useless closets…we want them GONE! We want to see walls blown out, new windows and lights brought in and a complete transformation!!  Demo Day to “The Big Reveal”…and we want it done in 30 minutes and under budget!!! (Ok…so those last 2 aren’t very realistic-ask anyone that has ever remodeled anything!)

BEFORE… There’s a lot of Christ-Followers that have a “BEFORE” story as well! Before he met Christ, Paul was trying to HURT Christ. Before they were Disciples of Jesus, many of the people we know and love from the Bible were smelly fishermen, thieving tax collectors, self-righteous zealots…even a Demon-possessed woman or two! And yet Jesus called them from the state they were in…the BEFORE! Most of them weren’t even aware they were broken down and sin-stained. They didn’t see how outdated their thinking was! They couldn’t smell the odor of the “world” on all of their walls. Yet ALL of them were in need of renovation!

God calls people BEFORE He begins the transformative work in their lives…and He does the same in our lives too! God isn’t looking for the “Cleaned up” version of you…because your “Clean” and His “Clean” aren’t the same. He sees all the BEFORE damage…and clearly sees what the AFTER can look like…if we are willing to let HIM remodel!

In the verse above, Isaiah prophesied that God said, “I have redeemed you,” while Israel was in REBELLION to God! They weren’t cleaned up at ALL…they were a mess! But God purchased them and began the redemptive and restorative work needed for His People to draw close to Him again long before they ACCEPTED Him as King! And He’s offering the same to you and me!

He calls us “His Beloved Children”, even when we act like the Spawn of the OTHER guy! God enters into our “BEFORE” and speaks Truth into our broken lives! We are LOVED! We are FORGIVEN! We are VALUABLE…Even when we cannot see value in our brokenness! His plan of redemption is not derailed by our poor choices! He is STILL the King and STILL the Savior!

You may be reading this and saying, “But Don…you don’t know what I’ve done!” You are correct-I don’t know all your story. And I don’t have to…because I know HIS story! “While we were YET SINNERS, Christ DEMONSTRATED how much He loves us…He DIED for us!” (Romans 5:8-Don’s Poor Translation) He knows what you can do AFTER, because He loved you BEFORE! Where Jesus IS…change occurs!

The smelly fisherman (Peter) became one of the Founders of the Church…AFTER! The thieving tax collector (Matthew) became the author of the First Gospel of the New Testament…AFTER! And that “Demon-possessed” woman? She was one of the FIRST people that Jesus went to after He rose from the Grave. Your “BEFORE” is not the end…if you will let HIM write the “AFTER!”

Shalom Alachiem, Don

Join us Sunday, Nov 19^th as we come together to worship our Lord and King!  The Body of Christ is alive and active in Roosevelt County!  The RCMA (Roosevelt County Ministerial Alliance) will kick our Red Kettle campaign off with a bang as we sing hymns and worship as one!

AMP Schedule
Nov 19 NO AMP
Nov 26 NO AMP

Dec 3 AMP returns (5 – 6:30 pm)
Dec 10 Christmas Party
Dec 17-31 AMP Holiday Break

Winter Devotionals have arrived and
will be available this weekend.
Be sure to pick up your copy and feel free
to grab an extra or two to share!

MyDevoapp.com is also available
using our access code TPH.

CS Lewis is one of my favorite authors.  I am currently reading the third book in his space trilogy, “That Hideous Strength,” but one of my fondest memories is listening to the “Chronicles of Narnia” audiobook presented by Focus on the Family.  Marea and I traveled with each of our kids the year before they entered sixth grade and, on the road, we listened and talked about every book.  So many great conversations and sweet memories came from that experience.

Susan, one of the characters in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” is meeting Aslan for the first time.  Aslan is a lion and a king, and it’s easy to see the symbolic representation of Jesus through the character.  I’m going to take the next couple of weeks to write about Aslan and I wanted to start with this quote from Mr. Beaver.
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan.
“I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous
about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe?
‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

 
Do you have a safe at your house?  Maybe it’s hidden under your bed or in the wall.  You put all your valuables in it… your most precious documents… you shut the heavy door and turn the handle.  You hear the tumblers lock in place and know that what you have is safe.  Nothing can get in.

A safe is meant to lock things inside.  It protects from the outside world.  Nothing can get in, but nothing can get out either.  If you’ve lived long enough you know that nothing can fully shelter you from the outside world.  Things are difficult and sometimes it’s hard to completely trust God.  We’d have to give over control.  What happens to our safety?  Are we secure?

Security is an interesting word.  In terms of technology, security is a way to interface with the outside while being protected by antivirus and malware software.  This security enables us to hop on the interwebs and know that we are protected.  If something gets through, the software finds it.  We didn’t lock ourselves away from the world, we just needed security.

Jesus Christ is good, but He’s not safe.  His words carry weight and challenge the status quo.  His actions encourage us to step outside ourselves, but we are secure in Christ no matter what comes next.  His love for us brings overwhelming victory.

You may be going through darkness.  If people only knew what you were going through…  Can I tell you that there is a Savior who isn’t safe, He’s secure.  You can trust Him everything because He’s good.

Choose your King.
Soli Deo Gloria!
F –