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One Church, 2361 Scenic Drive, Modesto, CA (2026)

02/12/2019

Glory of God!! Friends love, peace and joy to you and your family!!

WORSHIP
Our culture idols are money, success, power, pleasure and ourselves. Their enticements draw us toward themselves and away from God--the only rightful object of worship. Since whatever we worship influences us, we become like our idols, increasingly adopting and reflecting their traits. God had that in mind when He created us to worship Him--that we become more and more like Him as we adore Him more and more.
Worship is an attitude before it becomes an action. Our Word "worship " speaks of the "worthship " of the one being revered. In our fallen state, we're able to treat people or things like gods, but He won't share His glory (Isaiah 48:11; Exodus 20:5). Thus He started the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before me" ( Exodus 20:3-4).
Because God made us for His glory, worship is our highest calling (Isaiah 43:7). Nothing in life deserves the honor due Him, and haven's cry will forever be, "You are worthy, our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and power " (Revelation 4:11). In timelessness, He continually receives all the worship ever given Him through the ages. He will eternally enjoy every song we sing , every prayer we utter, every cry of our heart, as they are always before Him.
We may think worship is an activity in a creation building on one day of the week. But ancient Israel incorporated worship into daily life, especially keeping God's Law always before their eyes (Deuteronomy 6:7). Because the early church came from a Jewish heritage, it retained that view of worship as a way of life. The New Testament doesn't record the details of early church services, but they appear simple, centering on the Word, prayer, fellowship, and LORD'S SUPPER (Acts 2:42). Over the centuries, the inner adoration of God was replaced by external ritual--the people watching a preist perfom at an alter. But after the Reformation, many churches changed their worship format to include participation by the people.
Because the Bible does not prescribe worship order, churches are free to design services to enhance the worship experience fitting for each cultural. But several components are found in the New Testament. On his prison deathbed Apostle Paul commanded Timothy--"Preach the Word "" (2 Timothy 4:2). Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonian church to " pray continually " (! Thessalonians 5:17). He assumed the Colossians Christians sang Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God ( Colossians 3:16). In 1 Corinthians 11, he reiterates the practice of the LORD'S Supper.
Despite variations of corporate worship tradition, all churches should consider the same guiding principles--don't violate Scripture, be guided by the Spirit, and focus on God alone. For deepest worship to occur, our minds, emotions, and wills must be fully committed to the experience, consumed by God and His glory. Activities that have stagnated into stale rituals should be reconsidered. God, not tradition, must guide our worship.
God bless you and keep you!!

02/07/2019

Glory to God!! Love, peace and joy to you and your family!!
Friends, Baptism is similar to initiation. Our English word "baptize " comes from the Greek verb baptize, " to dip, plunge, immerse." But its ancient usage suggests a more fundamental sense of association between the thing immersed and what it's placed into. The common use became a religious rite of cleansing and identification. In our context, it is the public sign alliance with Jesus Christ.
This simple significant act has been practiced from the beginning of the church (Acts 2:41), but the rite of baptism did not begin with Christianity. Ancient Jews ritually washed their priests, their sacred instruments, and convert to Judaism (Leviticus 8:6; Mark 7:3-4). John the Baptist baptized people as a sign of repentance to prepare for the coming kingdom (Matthew 3:1-2,6). Jesus was baptized to identify with His messianic mission (Matthew 3:13-15)
Both the meaning and the method of Christian baptism is debated. Doctrinal differences usually center on "sprinkling versus immersion " and "baptism at birth versus baptism after salvation. "
Some Christians believe baptism is a sign of being part of God's covenant community, similar to circumcision in the Old Testament. Thus they baptize infants by pouring or sprinkling. Other Christians take the position that baptism symbolizes the Christian's identification with Christ death, burial, and resurrection, dying to the old life of sin and rising to new life in Christ (Romans 6:4,11). In this case, individuals are baptized only after they have made a conscious decision to accept Christ as their Savior--the experience of salvation. Water baptism is the outer portrayal of the inner baptism of the Spirit, by which the Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ at the time of salvation.
Because baptism is a symbol, the method is less essential than what the symbol represents. Nevertheless, the word implies immersion. Different methods offer more or less accurate images of the meaning of baptism. While pouring or sprinkling can be understood to symbolize death, burial, and resurrection, they don't mirror that reality as closely as immersion does-- going under and coming out of the water.
Some Christians believe infants were included in the household baptism of Acts 16:15, 16:33, and 1 Corinthians 1:16. The alternative view is that this claim goes beyond the biblical evidence--every reported baptism is for someone who already expressed faith in Christ. Furthermore, in the view, if baptism symbolizes initial union with Christ and the entrance into the Christian life, it shouldn't be administered to someone who has not yet consciously believed in Christ.
All Christians should be baptized because Jesus commanded us to baptize Christ's disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Doing so reviews the Gospel message for all who watch, and reminds the one being baptized of the new life to live. Baptism is our public initiation that tells others we have been accepted into God's group--the body of Christ.
God bless you and keep you!!

01/22/2019

Glory to God, peace, joy and love to you and your family!! Friends, everyone loves love. The old saying, "Love makes the world go 'round" underscores its importance. But today "love " may mean nothing more than fuzzy feelings or aroused emotions or sexual desire. We discover authentic love only in the Trinity. The three divine persons have eternally, perfectly loved each other and us, described by four overlapping traits: grace, benevolence, mercy, and persistence.
GRACE means God deals with us based on His character rather than our merit. He gives what we need rather than what we deserve. Apostel Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. " We don't do good works to become God's children, but we will do good works as a result of being God's children. That includes treating others graciously. Many people see God's grace only in the grace we show them. We may be God's only advertisement in their lives.
BENEVOLENCE is God's unselfish concern for us. His love takes the initiative, actively pursuing our benefit, rather than waiting to respond to something in us. Moses wrote of this in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, "The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other people's...But...because the LORD love you. " He loves us for what He is rather than for what he can get. Because of God's benevolence toward us, we should love others the same way, actively seeking their benefit.
MERCY speaks of God's compassion toward the needy. Whereas grace responds to our guilt, mercy responds to our misery. God is gentle and kind to us, taking pity on our hopeless condition. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13). Recipients of God's mercy should treat others mercifully, whether family, friends, or strangers. We are the most common channel through which God's mercy flows to the human race. Without our expression of His mercy, most will never see it in the course of their lives.
PERSISTENCE refers to God's patience. He continues to restrain His judgment and offer forgiveness, desiring that we turn to Him. "You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness " (Psalm 8615). Apostle Peter thought he was generous by suggesting we forgiv others seven times. But Jesus said we should forgive not "seven times, but up to seventy times seven " (Matthew 18:22). He didn't mean stop forgiving the 491st time, but keep forgiving regardless of the number. Our forgiveness needs to be waiting at the door of our hearts, to respond quickly and repeatedly to those who need it.
True love does not place ourselves at the center. It follows God's model, first by loving God, then by loving others as God loves them. With His love in us , we can love others to bless them rather than for what we might get in return.
Thank you! God bless you and keep you!

01/09/2019

Good Morning Friends, love, peace and joy to you and your family.
Some people think all religion are the same. If we just explore the surface, we 'll observe similar beliefs. But an honest comparison exposes significant disparities, even in the basic ideas. For instance, the concept of forgiveness is unique to Christianity and Judaism. Among the world's sacred books, the Bible alone teaches that an infinite, personal God completely forgives sin. And His forgiveness is not grudging or halfhearted. God says, "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them "" (Hosea 14:4).
The Hebrew and Greek words for forgiveness mean to cover an offense, or take away, put aside, let go of sin. Forgiveness relieves the resentment that comes from being wronged, thus restoring the relationship. Theologically, forgiveness is God's act of releasing sinners from judgment. In the Christian sense, forgiveness is always offered from God's initiative, and He's the only one who can forgive sins (Luke 5:21).
Forgiveness originates from within God's character because He is "a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love " (Nehemiah 9:17). But God is also free. He doesn't have to forgive sin; it's not automatic. Furthermore, His justice requires payment for sin. In other words, God wants to forgive but cannot without satisfying His justice. That's why the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices. " In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven " (Leviticus 4:20). But those sacrifices were only a symbol of the permanent sacrifice revealed in the New Testament.
In Mark 2:5 Jesus shocked the crowds, when "he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven ". The religious leaders understood the implications, and asked themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Verse 7). Their theology was flawless; but they couldn't bring themselves to draw the right conclusions--this Jesus was God. He could pronounce forgiveness because He was God and the sacrifice for sin (Hebrew 9:15). His death was the permanent sacrifice which "destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility "between man and God (Ephesians 2:14).
Forgiveness is not the whole of God's salvation plan, but is an essential part of the Gospel message: "Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out "(Acts 3:19). Even when a Christian sins, forgiveness is available through confession (1John 1:9) because Christ "canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14).
Forgiveness is more than a salvation issue. Apostle Paul tells us, "Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the LORD forgave you " (Colossians 3:13). And the LORD said our forgiveness should be limitless (Matthew 18:21-22). God will disburse whatever justice needs conveyed, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay; says the LORD " (Romans 12:19). By not holding bitterness or bearing grudges, we confirm the gracious character of our forgiving God.
Thank you! God bless you and keep you!

01/08/2019

Why study Theology?
Such questions reveal a common misunderstanding about theology, even a bias against it. Reading the Bible, having faith, and loving Jesus all require thinking and understanding. Theology explains our reading of the Bible, builds our faith, and increase our love of Jesus. These tasks cannot be adequately done without thinking and theology.
"Theology" comes from two Greek words, which mean "God " and "word, discourse, thinking, or reflecting. " Together, in simple terms, they mean thinking about and discussing God and related subjects such as the Bible, faith, Jesus, and other big questions about truth and life and reality. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle considered theology the greatest discipline because its main object of study, God is the highest reality. Even into the middle ages, theology was known as "The Queen of the science. "
Theology relates to two themes--truth and life. It helps us understand and organize God's truth in Scripture and advises how to live in light of that truth. Theology uncovers the universal biblical principles we can apply to our lives. Without it, Christianity is reduced to a folk religion--familiar and reassuring but unrelated to real life. Christians are then unprepared to face the media blitz of secularization and the influences of cultic falsehoods. Without understanding of the truth, our worship diminishes into tradition, our beliefs degenerate into legalism or heresy, our desire for spirituality may pursue non Christian paths, and our lives become devoid of service to God and others.
In addition to theology's practical relevance, Jesus commanded us to love God with our minds (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). Yes, we glorify God by godly living, but godly living proceeds from godly thinking, including the study of theology. Lazy and irrational thinking does not glorify God. A real lover of God and disciple of Jesus develops and uses the mind.
You may not think of yourself as theologians, and you may not practice theology in a formal setting like a seminary. But everyone who thinks is a theologian, for at times, we all ponder God and the Big questions of truth, life and reality.
Thank you! God bless you and keep you!

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