From Pastor Andrew’s Desk

Happy New Year FCCB,

I hope that you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and celebration of the new year! Becky, myself and the kiddos had a great time in Virginia visiting family. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing both of our families. There was also a wonderful football game outcome 🙂  We left on the December 26 and returned and just in time for “bomb cyclone” on the third. I hope that all of you are safe and sound during and after the blizzard. Wow, that is a lot of snow out there. Still trying to acclimate to the copious amounts of snow that come to this region…amazing…and humbling!

 We also had a great turnout on Christmas Eve with a lot of new faces from town and some surrounding communities. Please pray for the follow up with these new friends. There will be a Connect Luncheon on January 14 in the FLC after the service. We’ll focus on folks who attended on Christmas Eve for the first time or have begun to attend over the last year or two. It’ll be a good time to get to know these guests and to answer questions they may have about the church. We’re also working on a new member plan in conjunction with these connecting events. Sunday School resumes that Sunday (January 14) when we’ll reveal the focused topic for the months to come. 

I am picking up from where pastor Tom preached on New Year’s Eve (the beginning of Matthew 4) and conclude the passage, Matthew 4:12-25. As we each think about how we want to start 2018, I thought it would be good to reflect on  “how God does beginnings” and how Jesus started His earthly ministry. It’s a chance to look at His first recorded words during His three years of ministry and what His focus was in the early days.
 
The passage picks up in after Satan’s temptation. Jesus withdraws into Galilee (v. 12). Then He goes to a few different towns/regions to fulfill God’s word through the prophet Isaiah (v. 14). Every step Jesus made was purposeful and fulfilled a larger redemptive plan. Then we see the common contrasting themes of light and darkness. 
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of shadow of death a light has dawned.” 
This prophecy from Isaiah 9 is also cited in the birth account of Christ and points to the fact before the entrance of Jesus into His own creation– all the land was dark. There was no true hope. But now the light has come and that light is Jesus. Jesus says clearly about Himself 

 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

This light of the world, has now entered into His own creation and the world will never be the same. 

Verse 17 states,

from that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near.” 
Wow, that’s quite a way to begin. I have a hunch that those words might not be on the book cover of “How to Win friends and Influence People.” Jesus minces no words. What is He speaking of here? 
 
Repentance is a word that in the Greek is metanoia, or “to turn.” So, literally, in speaking of repentance, Jesus is saying that people are to “turn from sin and self” in order to “turn to God.” It is a very specific movement away from the world and a turn to the Lord. Truly profound. Sometimes in our culture I think that the word “repentance gets a bad rap. We visualize people holding signs and bullhorns at street corners. Actually, the word ‘repentance’ is a wonderful word because it involves turning to God and away from self. Turning to God is always a really good thing…albeit a really hard thing. We are acknowledging that 
His ways are best and ours are not
we are desperately lost and broken without Him 
He is the only hope for salvation, that is to repent and turn to the living God.
 
Not only that, but in His arrival in the world has inaugurated the Kingdom on earth. The Kingdom has come near, because the King is near. The Lord reigns not just in heaven, but on earth. Which Kingdom are we are part of? 
  • We can be simply citizens of the world who have no interest or stake in the Kingdom of God. 
  • Or we could be citizens of His Kingdom (followers of Christ), but still more focused on the values and interests of this world then the Lord’s Kingdom values. 
  • Or we could be citizens of His Kingdom who are focused on His Kingdom values and plan. 
Let’s be that third category!! Perhaps there some things we need to repent of over the last year to be about His ways….help us Lord!
 
Verses 18-22 are the ‘calling’ passages in which Jesus calls brothers (Peter and Andrew) and (James son of Zebedee and John). Each of these sets of brothers were fishermen doing their daily activities: fishing, cleaning nets, being in boats. Jesus calls them right where they are. These men drop everything immediately. Clearly, there was something so utterly authoritative and compelling in Jesus that they responded in total obedience to His call. They “left their nets.” (v. 20). 
 
Does this mean that we are to leave our jobs and livelihood? For some people, yes, it has meant that. Most likely this is not the case for you and me, nor is this the main point of the passage. Rather, it demonstrates total surrender to His will and plan. His purposes for their lives were total and ultimate? Do we really believe that? Because if we do, it affects how we start a new year. 
 
Perhaps you are like me and get a little overwhelmed with a new year and start making a list of resolutions and hopes. Resolutions in the Lord can be good things. Check out Jonathan Edwards 70 resolutions sometime if you want to feel overwhelmed :). 
Jesus says in v. 19 
Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.

 As believers, nothing on our list really matters until we really wrestle with 

learning to follow Jesus, to walk with Him in all ways
reaching out to others with the good news. 
Pretty simple, pretty profound. The disciples had to drop their priorities and plans for their lives in order to receive His priorities for their lives. In doing so, they received abundantly more than they ever would have imagined. What they gained was inexpressibly more than what they “lost.” Do we believe that about our lives. In this new year, are we willing to lay down our ‘lists’ to follow how God does beginnings and to keep in line with His priorities. Jesus states: 
  1. Repent. The Kingdom of God is near.
  2. Follow Me
  3. I will send you out to fish for people.
 Let’s keep it simple this year and let His priorities become our priorities. May He lead us in all ways! See you Sunday!
 
          Blessings,
 

          Pastor Andrew