VSJ ELIM Church

06/21/2022

Come join our youth group this Thursday at 7pm and enjoy some fellowship along with a bonfire, food and games! If you have a favorite game, bring it along. Any questions please call the numbers listed below. Blessings.

05/21/2022

This month of June…these are our days of evangelism.

01/08/2022

Tomorrow at 2:00pm...The Lord's Supper.

06/29/2021

06/14/2021

Bring your family along… this Sunday at around 1pm for some good Food.

02/25/2021

What do you do with the Lord's blessing?

Blessings beloved people, what do you do with the blessing of the Lord? "It is the blessing of the Lord that enriches, and does not add sadness with it." Proverbs 10:22
Today we will look at different ways people respond to the Lord’s blessing, and I want you to ask yourself what group are you?

FIRST GROUP: THOSE WHO DON'T EXPECT THE BLESSING

Genesis 15:2 we see a desperate Abraham for the Lord's blessing. Abraham had some years already waiting on the Lord’s promise, and became impatient and desperate; in the following chapter you see how Abraham took control of his situation, and thus Ishmael was born.
There are many Christians who are the same way; God has made them a promise and they become so impatient and desperate; they try to find their own way. Then the worst happens, and things don’t turn out to be good-we get mad at God. Abraham started to see the results of his own decisions from the very beginning; you can see the problems his decision caused him in his life. If you are in this group, who is impatient, here are some things to remember:

a) it is not in your timing but in God’s timing
b) God’s blessing does not add sadness
c) God’s blessing enriches
This could be for something small as in going to look for job, or something big as in who am I to marry? Knowing how to wait on God is in art not many have dominated. Today ask yourself if you want if you want to be one of those people who rush or a person who waits.

SECOND GROUP: THOSE WHO MAKE IT LESS

There is another type of people like Esau, brother of Jacob, whom could care less to receive God’s blessing. They sell the blessing for a passing moment. Esau appears in Genesis 25:29-34 and the Bible reveals that he did not really care for his blessing until it was important. Esau had a serious problem that many christians have today….they live for the day. They don’t look up to see what comes ahead. So I ask you...For how much are you willing to sell God’s blessing? When you leave your service at church, when you stop going to church service, when you get a good paying job but it prevents you from attending church; these are all examples of this group of people. They make less of God’s blessing. Look at what Hebrews 12:17 says,“ For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” (NASB)
Never make less of your service in church, in due time God will bless for what you do, never exchange going to church service for anything else….in due time He will bless you. Remember the things you do, big or small, for God and His kingdom, bring great reward.

THIRD GROUP: THOSE WHO CONFUSE THE BLESSING

There is a third group of people, these are the ones who don’t know how to discern when God blesses them or when the enemy has planted a trap for them. Lot in Genesis 13:10-12 confused the blessing. He saw the plain and said… as the garden of the Lord, but that path led him to S***m and Gomorrah.
There are many christians in this group, a relationship that leads us to sin, a friend who leads us to perdition, an employment opportunity or a university where God wasn’t consulted and you end up in the wrong with God. I have news for you brother/sister…satan will come to offer you things that have an appearance of being good and pleasant, but in the end its purpose is to deceive you. Look what he did with Eve in Genesis 3:6, the Word says that she saw that the fruit was good and pleasant. Satan is an expert deceiver; for this reason, the best way to know what is God’s blessing is to ask God and wait for an answer.

FOURTH GROUP: THOSE WHO DON’T PREPARE THEMSELVES TO RECEIVE THE BLESSING

There is another group of that exists, they speak, believe, and see God’s blessing but they don’t prepare themselves to receive it. The people of israel in the dessert in numbers 13: 31-32 tells us they saw, heard, and tastes the blessing that was going to be given to them but they didn’t prepare to receive it. God may have great plans for your life, but if you don’t do anything to prepare yourself for those plans, you will end up frustrated. You need to prepare your character, your vision, equip yourself, make decisions in search of that promise. That is what the Israelites failed to do. How often do you read the Bible? How much time do you spend watching TV, on the internet, telephone? Are you preparing yourself to receive the Promise God has for your life?

FIFTH GROUP: THOSE WHO TRUST, WAIT AND RECEIVE

Hannah, mother of Samuel is a great example to follow, did you know she dedicated Samuel before she had more children. Moreover, it wasn’t until Samuel was a young man that she conceived more children. She fulfilled her promises to God regardless of receiving more children. The Bible says the day Hannah prayed for a son, she went home and no longer was sad. (1 Samuel 1:18) She trusted God was going to bless her.

What do you do with the Lord’s blessing?
Today ask yourself this. If thoughts of frustration and doubt have come to your mind, I hope that this Word makes you meditate that the blessing of the Lord is one that enriches and does not add with it sadness as Proverbs 10:22 says.

God bless you,
-Pastor Juan

01/29/2021

GOD DIDN’T BRING US HERE TO GO BACK
HEBREWS 10:37-39,” For, as the scripture says,’Just a little while longer, and he who is coming will come; he will not delay. 38My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not pleased them.’39We are not people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith and are saved.” (GNT)
Have you ever asked yourself..why do people turn back? These verses we just read show us where those who turn back go ….it says they go back to destruction. Today I would like to talk to you about how to stay in Jesus and not turn back.
People turn back for many reasons, but the most common reasons are: Disappointment (Luke 24:17), They are not able to bear the test and slip (Matthew 26:73-74), They love what they left behindv(Luke 17:32-33), The Word is difficult to obey(John 6:66)
How can we stay in the faith and not turn back ?
The answer is found in Ephesians 3:17 “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” (NLT)
In order to remain, we need deep roots. But, how do we get deep roots? Tree roots have two main functions:
• Water and mineral collection
• Provide the tree with support and anchoring
Jesus teaches in His Word that He is the living water. If you come often and depend on the water Jesus provides, then you will have strong roots and the result will be a strong and stable tree.
The most stable trees are those that find their roots…in a stone in the depths of the earth and are anchored in the stone. This is such a beautiful teaching because the Bible says that Jesus is the Rock and the Rock has water to drink. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 10:4,” and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.” (NLT)
Dear brother, in order to remain in God’s ways, we must be dependent on the Rock that is Christ.
The person who turns back is the one who does not plant deep roots. They are not dependent on Jesus. Today we need to grow in Jesus, we need to deepen in Jesus, like a trees roots we must anchor ourselves on the stone. Likewise embrace and be dependent on Jesus.
Proverbs 12:3,”Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.”
God bless you,
-Pastor Juan Lima

01/19/2021

4 QUALITIES WE MUST LEARN: (Part 1)

Hello blessings beloved village, this week I would like you to accompany me to look at 4 qualities that we must learn. Every day we will look at one of these qualities.

Mark 10:13-15

They brought some children to Jesus, to touch them; but the disciples began to rebuke those who carried them. Jesus, seeing this, became angry and said, "Let the children come unto me, and do not prevent him, for the kingdom of God is one of those who are like them. I assure you that he who does not accept the kingdom of God as a child will not enter it.

Yes, my beloved brother, the qualities we learn are from the children... Jesus makes it clear to us in these verses that the kingdom of God is one of those who are like them. Let's get on the topic...

1) WE MUST IMITATE THE FAITH OF CHILDREN:

Have you realized that children have impressive faith... they believe without reasoning in their minds, and show that faith with great sincerity; with phrases like "God will heal my mommy," "God takes care of us," "God will bring my daddy to church" etc.

Childlike faith is what we need. Have you noticed that when you tell a story to a child, they imagine it, believe it, and repeat it as if it were real. That’s what our faith should be like about God’s promises...we must imagine them, believe them and believe them without reasoning His promises and speak of them freely as a child. A child, beloved brother, although they have not seen the candy you promised them...they will believe it is in the bag.

On one occasion, Jesus decided to test Philip. He asked him how they would feed a large multitude of people. Philip, like any one of us, calculated how much money would be spent to feed the people...more than 200 denarii, 200 days' worth of work. So, then a child shows up to offer whatever food he has, now perhaps for the disciple Andrew who receives the bread and fish, thinks this food must have been unrealistic to feed the large crowd. And so, I asked myself...how insistent was the boy that Andrew told the Lord about the bread and fish?

John 6:9-11 says, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, "Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish."

That which was ridiculous to Andrew, was enough faith Jesus needed to do the miracle. A child's faith is ridiculous for the adult man; but for God it is necessary.

So, can lack of faith stop Jesus from performing miracles? The answer is yes. Matthew 13:58 "And he did not do many miracles there, because of their disbelief."

How important is it to have childlike faith?

Well...have you noticed who entered Canaan? Yes, my beloved brother... the children of the adults who left Egypt. They, like their parents, listened to Moses for 40 years, but the difference was they did believe... Look:



Deuteronomy 1:39 "And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad-they will enter the land. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it.”

Let's look at what the children's faith is like:

a) Children believe without having seen

b) Children believe without reasoning things

c) A child's faith is so great that they even imagine it

Dear brother today we need men and women with faith like that of a child. remember that Jesus said, "I assure you that he who does not accept the kingdom of God as a child will not enter it."

God wants to work in our lives but without faith it is impossible to please God.

Next week we will continue with the second quality of a child that we must imitate.

Blessings
-Pastor
Juan Carlos Lima

01/12/2021

HOW TO START A NEW BEGINNING:

Life is full of beginnings and endings but today we will be talking about the beginnings of life. For example: The birth of a baby, Start of a new job, LIFE OF A NEWLY MARRIED Couple, Vow Renewal, or the beginning of a new year.

There is an important lesson that God leaves us in His word in Noah's history that we must study today.
Go with me to Genesis 8:1 The Bible says that God remembered Noah and the animals ... what new life were they going to begin? Imagine the thrill of seeing that God was going to allow them to start new. Let's look at 3 Points that give us an important lesson about "New Beginnings".

1) DO NOT STAIN THE NEW WITH SOMETHING OLD (Genesis 9:21-22) God intended to cleanse mankind but the Sons of Noah did not recognize that. And Cam sinned against his Father. He brought something old to the new. This point is very important because the human tends to keep memories, emotions, thoughts, etc. and when we are starting something new, many times you can stain it with something that is already finished... it's in the past! Be very careful with this point. Let's say you are newly married, or you're renewing vows with your spouse; it is necessary you don’t live from the past. There is a reason why you made the decision to move on to a greater commitment, so we cannot stain it with past memories that only bring arguments and problems.

2) BUILD AN ALTAR Genesis 8:20 the first thing Noah did after taking the animals and their family out of the ark was "Build an Altar to the Lord". This shows us to place God as a priority in our new begining. For example... if you move to a new state...do you know if there's a church nearby? Did you make it a priority when choosing your new home? If building an Altar to the Lord in your house wasn't part of what you did before... start now. Set goals for what you want in this new beginning, and one of them should definitely be putting God first.
Build an altar of Prayer and Bible reading together with your family; You'll notice the difference quickly!

3) LOOK FOR GOD TO BLESS THE NEW! Genesis 9:1 Noah sought God’s blessing by building an altar, and God blessed him. The Word says that the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Whether in your new cottage, new home, new Church, change of status, New baby etc. you must seek the blessing of the Lord.

Seeking the blessing requires laying foundations to receive it. There are people who say God does not bless me, whereas the question instead should be...Am I ready for God to bless me?
I HOPE GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS YOUR LIFE WITH THESE TEACHINGS! Blessings
Pastor Juan Lima

01/07/2021

We are celebrating our 10th Anniversary. You are invited to join us for this wonderful celebration, Friday January 22 at 7pm and Sunday January 24th, for all 3 services.