There Is Power In The Blood

THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph 1:7).





When I was a young boy, I thought I wanted to become a doctor. I read Issac Asimov's book on the Human Body and Grey's Anatomy. I watched the TV show Medical Center every week and used to play games where we would rush people into surgery and save their lives. That was until the day when I encountered real blood. I was playing football around the trailer I grew up in. I was tackled and slid into a metal frame the held up an oil barrel that was used to provide fuel for the trailer. My knee was completely gashed open. It was a mess. I nearly fainted. I also decided that maybe I wasn't cut out for the medial field because I really couldn't take the sight of blood.

 

Most people are like that. We don't like to talk about unpleasant things like blood. In fact, the blood of Jesus is something that is missing from the message that many churches preach in America today. It's not politically correct. It's not seeker friendly to talk about the blood. But without the blood of Jesus Christ there is no forgiveness of sins. There is no sacrifice without bloodshed. In the tabernacle we see an amazing picture of the power of the blood. The High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies once year to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat sat on top of the Ark of the Covenant where the 10 Commandments were housed. If you could imagine, the mercy seat would be sprinkled with blood. The blood dripping down would cover what? The law. The law told us that the wages of sin is death, but the blood of Jesus dripping from the Mercy Seat covered our sins and released us from our debt of sin. It was the picture of total forgiveness.

 

As we enter the Easter season where we are remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that the power of God's forgiveness would be unleashed in your life as you realize that your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

PRAY FOR JAPAN: We have all been shocked by the recent tragedy in Japan. I have friends and relatives in Japan. Thankfully they are safe. I believe this is an incredible opportunity for the Body of Christ to demonstrate the love and power of the Christian God to the people of Japan. There will be a special prayer meeting at The Shoreline Sunday, March 27 at 7:00 pm.

We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.

Roxie and I are praying for you...

Blessings

P.HD

A Case Of Forgotten Identity?

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13).





This week my son was staying at a friends house and he called me for to help him recover his Xbox gamer tag so he could play Xbox at his friends house. He asked me what my Windows Live ID was so he could log in on a different machine from another location. I told him what I thought it was, but it wasn’t working. He says to me, "You’ve got the wrong ID dad." So I went through every possible password and User ID combination I could think of. Nothing worked. I couldn't get into the game because I had forgotten my identity.

There are alot of Christians who are struggling to get into the game of life because they've forgotten their identity in Christ. They listen to what the world says about them. They listen to what their conditioning or training says about them. They listen to what people in authority say about them. They listen to everyone and everything but God. However, God is the only One that can actually tell us who He created us to be and what He created us for. As we go through the book of Ephesians on Sunday morning, I pray that you will be reminded of your identity in Christ so you can get back into the game based on who He says you are and not any other voice.

PRAY FOR JAPAN: We have all been shocked by the recent tragedy in Japan. I have friends and relatives in Japan. Thankfully they are safe. I believe this is an incredible opportunity for the Body of Christ to demonstrate the love and power of the Christian God to the people of Japan. There will be a special prayer meeting at Heritage Christian Fellowship Friday, March 17 at 7:00 pm.




We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD

Who Do You Think You Are?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

"or we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10).





I don't know about you, but I live in the tension of God's Word and the reality of what I see in the daily circumstances of my life. I read God's Word and I walk away thinking God's promises are yes and amen. Then I get one phone call that makes me doubt everything I just read. Do you ever feel like that? What do you do when your reality doesn't appear to match God's Word? Do you trust your circumstances or do you trust what God says?
This Sunday we begin a new series entitled "Grace Filled Relationships." We will be going through the book of Ephesians and looking at the life that God says is ours. It's important to remember that Paul is writing the book of Ephesians from a prison cell. While he is describing life from a heavenly perspective, he is facing the circumstances of every day life in a prison cell on earth. How does he do it? We'll discover how as we go through what is considered the High Sierra's of Scripture.



SPECIAL NOTE: This Sunday, we will not be observing Daylights Savings Time until after the service. SO... Don't change your clock an hour forward the night before. Do it on Sunday after church. Of course, if you don't get the message, we welcome your help in setting up.



We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD

The King Is Coming

THE KING IS COMING

"28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28).





I believe we are living in the Last Days. Literally ever aspect of Christian life is under attack. In the UK, a couple is banned by the court from becoming foster parents because of their Christian values and belief that homosexuality is a sin. On the ABC Network a new pilot program called "Good Christian B*tches" is being brought to life by "Sex In The City" executive producer Darren Star. ABC is owned by Disney. The new Catholic Bible is reframing the virgin birth by reinterpreting Isaiah 7:14 to say a "young woman" shall conceive and bear a son instead of a virgin. Finally, our President in a very revealing decision has decided that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional because it defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and excludes same sex marriages. It's only a matter of time before Pastors will be charged with "hate speech" simply because they are teaching the Word of God.
Tonight we start our study through the Book of Revelation. On Sunday we will begin our study through the book of Ephesians. Both are crucial for the life of every believer at this time. The Book of Revelation is crucial because it not only reveals God plan for the last days that we find ourselves in, but it also reveals God's desire for how we are to live during such troubled times. Ephesians is crucial because it tells us who we are in Christ and how we are to relate as Christians to the world around us. How important it is for us to understand God's heart for us in these last days. I invite you to come out and join us on Wednesday evenings and encourage you to bring a friend on Sunday mornings. We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.
SPECIAL NOTE: This Sunday, we will not be observing Daylights Savings Time until after the service. SO... Don't change your clock an hour forward the night before. Do it on Sunday after church. Of course, if you don't get the message, we welcome your help in setting up.



Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD