This Life or the Next

Every day people are telling me: how stressed they are, feelings of heaviness, sense of confusion, being filled with fear, and worried about their future. Maybe this fits you. We don’t live in a bubble. World events affect us. The fires in BC send the smoke across Canada. The virus knows no borders. The war in a far off land fills our living rooms. It is amazing to me, how many people are telling me they feel this heavy oppression on and all around them. It seems something is shifting. Maybe our faith is being challenged. For a generation we have made Christianity about me and my personal safety and well being. We declare God’s promises, “no sword shall come near my house”; we preach prosperity, and we feel perpetual happiness without strife is my right.

God is shaking our presumptions. When the sky is filled with smoke and we don’t have any power over the hot weather, when the church is divided and is arguing about masks, when we see the oppression of the Christian world view even to the point of torture and death, where is our faith now? We don’t need platitudes coming from the pulpit. We don’t need false promises of peace, when there is none. We don’t need worldly solutions delivered on a Facebook meme. What we need is Jesus, living in our heart through the person of the Holy Spirit.

We need to repent of looking to this world for our life, peace, and well-being and turn to Jesus for his life to fulfil us. We need to present this message of eternal hope and reject a religion just for this life. Jesus said it clearly, “Whoever is not willing to carry the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39  Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.” (Matthew 10:38-39)

          The cross in Jesus’ day, represented oppression, subjugation, suffering and death. What a concept! It would be very unpopular today. We give up “true life” in our chase for better fingernails, fancy cars, and uninterrupted happiness. If you are feeling lost, oppressed, or fearful, because the world is spinning out of control, this is God calling us to invite Holy Spirit to live within. He is enough. He is life. He is our joy despite the trouble around us.

          If you would like to discuss this blog with me, or would like prayer; please reach out. I would be delighted to connect. pastorjim@kcfoffice.com

This week Marc and Lisa Honorat from Haiti Arise will be with us. Please consider joining us this Sunday at 10:30 am in person or on line.

Sunday Celebration

We are meeting personally at the church Sundays at 10:30am. The delta variant has become prevalent in the region including Nelson and the recommendation from the Provincial Government is that if you are in a building to wear a mask, so we are asking everyone to wear them until this subsides. Moving forward until further notice Masks are Mandatory again as well as physical distancing and sanitizing remains. We are so glad that we are gathering again, your presence is so important. The usual online options (Facebook and KCF.Online.Church) will also be available.

Pastor Jim Reimer

August 19, 2021