Altarstar Methodist Church

09/08/2026

I’ve been sitting with a question Jesus asked a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years:

“Do you want to be healed?” — John 5:6

At first, it almost seems like a strange question. Of course he does.

But the more I think about it, the heavier that question becomes.

I wonder how many times we pray for God to heal us without really considering what healing might mean.

What if healing means everything changes?

What if the habits have to go? The places we keep returning to? The relationships that keep pulling us backward? The addictions, bitterness, excuses, and things we’ve surrounded ourselves with for so long that we no longer know who we are without them?

For thirty-eight years, that man knew how to live beside the pool.

Then Jesus said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

And suddenly, he couldn’t live there anymore.

That has been sitting heavily on my heart.

Sometimes I wonder if we really want healing—or if we simply want God to make our brokenness hurt less while allowing us to keep everything else the same.

Jesus offers something much greater than that.

He offers a new life.

But a new life means getting up.

It means walking away from some things.

It means trusting Jesus enough to leave the place where we have become comfortable being broken.

Maybe the question isn’t whether Jesus can heal us. Maybe the question is whether we’re willing to leave the pool when He does.

09/07/2026

Join Us This Sunday — September 13th @ 9:30am.

This Sunday we continue The Revelation of Jesus Christ — Week XV with Revelation 10:1–11: “Take It and Eat It.”

The sixth trumpet has sounded. The seventh is coming. But heaven pauses.

What is God doing between six and seven? And what does this pause teach us about receiving, living, and proclaiming His Word?

We are living between “It is finished” and “I am making everything new.”

Come hungry for the Word. Come expecting to meet Christ.

Altarstar Methodist Church
1403 Co. Rd. 68 • Auburn, IN 46706

09/06/2026

09/05/2026

Every human life carries immeasurable value.

In conversations about abortion, there are real people, difficult circumstances, fear, pain, and deeply personal decisions. Those realities deserve compassion, and those facing them deserve to be treated with dignity and love.

At the same time, as Christians, we cannot forget the life that has no voice in the conversation—the unborn child.

Our conviction is not rooted in condemnation. It is rooted in the belief that every human being, born and unborn, bears the image of God and is worthy of protection.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” — Psalm 139:13

This is not about Republican or Democrat. It is not about elections, presidents, or political power.

It is about whether we truly believe that human life is sacred.

And Church, if we are going to defend life, then let us defend it consistently—from the womb to the grave. Protect the unborn. Stand beside frightened mothers. Support struggling families. Care for the poor, the disabled, the elderly, the forgotten, and the unwanted.

And let us never forget grace.

To the woman carrying regret from an abortion: there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

To the man who encouraged or demanded one: there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

To all of us who have sinned and fallen short: there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

But grace does not mean remaining silent about sin.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” — Isaiah 5:20

Church, we were not called to conform to the world. We were called to proclaim Christ to it.

Speak truth.
Show mercy.
Defend the innocent.
Love the broken.
Call sinners to repentance.

And remember this:

The value of a human life is not determined by whether that life is wanted, convenient, planned, healthy, wealthy, powerful, or able to speak for itself. Its value was established by God when He created humanity in His image.

The unborn cannot march for their rights.
They cannot stand before a microphone.
They cannot cast a vote.
They cannot plead their own case.

They have no voice in the decision that determines whether they will ever take their first breath.

And perhaps that is precisely why the Church must have the courage to speak for them.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” — Proverbs 31:8

When our culture begins measuring the worth of human life by whether that life is wanted, convenient, independent, or seen, the Church must answer:

There are no disposable people in the Kingdom of God.

Not in the womb.
Not in the hospital.
Not in the nursing home.
Not on the street.
Not behind prison walls.

Every person bears the image of God.

So when we are asked to choose between cultural acceptance and biblical conviction, may we have the courage—and the compassion—to choose Christ.

Choose truth without hatred.
Choose compassion without compromise.
Choose Christ.
Choose life.

09/04/2026

My heart is troubled.

I see so many Christians becoming consumed by politics, parties, personalities, nations, and the concerns of this present world—as though our greatest hope rests in who holds office, which side wins, or what happens to our country.

Church, we have been given a greater calling.

Jesus did not commission us to place our hope in the kingdoms of this world. He commanded us to make disciples, to proclaim the gospel, to call people to repentance, and to bear witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Politics cannot save you.
A title cannot save you.
A position cannot save you.
Money cannot save you.
Your race cannot save you.
Your nationality cannot save you.
Your culture cannot save you.
Your political party cannot save you.

And neither can being a good, respectable, religious person.

Only Jesus Christ saves.

The kingdoms we fight so desperately to preserve are temporary. The Kingdom of God is eternal.

Scripture does not tell us that this world will eventually be perfected through human power. It tells us that Christ will return, evil will be judged, the kingdoms of this world will fall, and every one of us will stand before God.

That ought to change what consumes us.

What troubles me most is that God has warned humanity again and again. He has shown mercy again and again. He has given opportunity after opportunity to turn back to Him.

Yet Revelation gives us these heartbreaking words:

“The rest of mankind… did not repent.” — Revelation 9:20

After everything they had witnessed, they still would not repent.

And perhaps that is the warning the Church desperately needs to hear today.

We can become so busy arguing about what is happening around us that we never examine what is happening within us.

We can fight for a nation while neglecting the Kingdom.

We can defend a political position while failing to proclaim Christ.

We can win an argument and lose an opportunity to reach a soul.

We can point out everyone else’s sin while refusing to repent of our own.

Church, our hope has never been Washington.

Our hope has never been a political party.

Our hope has never been a nation, an economy, a culture, or a human leader.

Our hope has a name: Jesus Christ.

The question is not simply, “What side are you on?”

The question is:

Have you repented?

Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ?

Because when we stand before the throne, the labels we fought so hard to defend here will mean nothing.

There will be no Republican or Democrat.

No rich or poor.

No powerful or insignificant.

No American or foreigner.

No earthly title to hide behind.

There will only be sinners standing before a holy God—and one question that matters eternally:

Do you belong to Jesus Christ?

The warning has been given.

The invitation is still open.

The grace of God is still reaching.

Repent. Believe the Gospel. Follow Jesus.

Because this world is passing away.

But the Kingdom of our God will stand forever.

09/01/2026

This Sunday, September 6th, we continue The Revelation of Jesus Christ with one of the most sobering chapters we have encountered.

Revelation 9 gives us frightening images of the abyss, darkness, judgment, and destruction. Yet perhaps the most troubling words are these:

“The rest of mankind… still did not repent.” — Revelation 9:20

But why does God warn us?

Because there is still time to turn.

The warning itself is an act of mercy.

This Sunday we’ll look beyond the frightening imagery of Revelation 9 and discover its deeper message about God’s sovereignty, the reality of evil, the danger of a hardened heart, and the grace that continues to call us home.

And after hearing that call, we will gather at the Lord’s Table—where we are reminded that judgment is real, but so is grace.

Come as you are.
Come worship with us.
Come to the Table.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ —
Week XIV

“Still They Would Not Repent”
Revelation 9:1–21

Sunday • 9:30 AM
Altarstar Methodist Church
1403 Co. Rd. 68
Auburn, Indiana

08/31/2026

Jesus repeatedly turns the world’s definition of greatness upside down: greatness is not found in being above others, but in kneeling before God and serving others.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” — James 4:10

And Philippians 2:3 reminds us: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

Elevating yourself above others means nothing.

Humbling yourself before God means everything.

The world may measure greatness by status, success, influence, and recognition—but heaven measures differently. Before the throne of God, there are no titles to impress Him, no accomplishments that make us greater than our neighbor, and no social standing that gives us a better place. We come before Him the same way: on our knees, dependent upon His grace. The higher we try to raise ourselves, the farther we drift from the example of Christ. But when we humble ourselves before God, He begins to shape us into the people He created us to be.

08/23/2026

Between the sixth and seventh seal, God pauses…

Revelation 6 ends with a haunting question:

“Who can stand?”

Then Revelation 7 gives us the answer.

John sees a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

And that forces me to ask myself:

What am I standing on?

Am I standing on money?
My reputation?
My social class?
My success?
My intelligence?
My accomplishments?
The approval of others?

Because one day, none of it will matter when I am standing before the throne.

There will be no social ladder before the throne.
No bank-account balance that impresses God.
No title that gives us greater standing.
No reputation that can save us.
No amount of intelligence that can redeem us.

Before the throne, there is only one question that matters:

Do I belong to the Lamb?

The multitude in Revelation 7 is not standing because they were wealthy, successful, powerful, educated, or admired.

They are standing because their robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.

That is the great leveling truth of the Gospel.

Rich and poor.
Powerful and powerless.
Known and unknown.
Every nation, tribe, people and language.

All standing before the same throne.
All dependent upon the same grace.
All saved by the same Lamb.

Everything this world uses to measure our worth will eventually fall away.

Christ alone remains.

So perhaps we should stop asking, “How do I measure up to everyone around me?”

And start asking:

“What am I standing on?”

Because when I finally stand before the throne, I will not cling to what I earned, what I owned, what others thought of me, or what I accomplished.

I will cling to Christ.

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” — Revelation 7:10

Who can stand?

Those whose foundation is Jesus Christ.