Jesus offers a clean slate

Have you ever heard the phrase, “let bygones be bygones”? I’ve heard it in movies and TV shows, usually when the protagonist teams up with someone and they get over some previous squabble to move ahead with a plot.

 

These are always cool moments in movies, but they are even better in real life. Because I am human, I have wronged many people in my life, from family, friends, and even my wife. I think that can be said about all of us. We are not perfect and we must interact with each other every day. But when we ask for forgiveness, we can learn and move on with our day.

 

When it comes to God, however, I believe that sometimes we think that God remembers all our faults and, as a result, we must prove ourselves to Him. I remember when I was a young Christian, I used to approach prayer with shame, not really knowing if God would listen to me because I felt so embarrassed of the dreadful things I had done. I have talked to people who don’t go to church because they believe they are beyond saving. I’ve heard them say, “Oh, I can’t go to church. I’ve done too many bad things.” You might know somebody like this, or maybe this is you.

 

When the prophet Ezekiel spoke to the people of God, he had a lot to say about sin. In chapter 18 of his book, we read the following:

 

“But if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.” - Ezekiel 18:21 CSB

 

This chapter has a lot to do with personal responsibility for our sins, but this verse stands out. It gives us hope. It gave hope to those who knew that they were wicked, or those who are being told by Ezekiel that they were doing wicked things. God provided a way out of their sinful nature. God gave them hope.

This chapter in Ezekiel deals with the sins of parents and the sins of children. God makes it clear that every generation will be responsible for their own actions. I believe this also gives us hope today.

 

Personally speaking, my family bloodline is not a clean one. I come from a line of liars, rebels, and even criminals. That doesn’t mean that I am destined for these things. Through the blood of Jesus, I am free to make my own decisions and I will be held responsible for those decisions.

 

We see this generational-sin mindset occur again in the New Testament, specifically in John, chapter 9:

 

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.” - John 9:2-3 CSB

 

Once again, the decisions of previous generations do not have to continue with us, but it is our personal decisions that can stop those generational sins, habits, or tendencies.

 

I love the story above because it shows the human nature inside all of us. We see something wrong and we quickly try to make sense of it. When the disciples ask Jesus who is responsible for this person being blind, they just want to know who to blame, maybe even to have pity on the person. But Jesus is interested in showing His glory. Jesus is interested in changing the narrative. Jesus is interested in changing our perspective and getting us to understand that we can change our surroundings.

 

Jesus offers you a clean slate today. If previous decisions are holding you back, or you think you are stuck due to decisions that were made prior to your birth, let me tell you that God is interested in a fresh start for you. You do not have to be defined by your bloodline, or by the actions of your previous generations. You certainly don’t have to continue with certain beliefs that may not be correct. We all have some traditions that are good and others that are not so good. With Jesus Christ, we can start fresh and experience a new life with Him today.

 

 

Mauricio Paredes is Junior High Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at manny@kchanford.com or at 559-582-1528.

The God that sees you

 

There is a really dysfunctional scene in the Bible that I am inspired to write about. It’s been one of those days, so dysfunctional seemed appropriate. I hope it encourages you!

 

Abram, who eventually was renamed Abraham, is considered the father of faith to those of Christian and Jewish faith. He is the guy that God chose to use to redeem the world. God promised to bless this man and, through that blessing, the rest of the world would be blessed and know God. This promise was ultimately fulfilled through Jesus, who is in the bloodline of Abraham.

 

Even though there are a lot of good things to say about Abraham, he did not escape family dysfunction.

 

Abraham and his wife Sarai, who was eventually renamed Sarah, couldn’t have kids because Sarah was barren. Amazingly enough, God gave Abraham a promise - that He would give Abraham a natural-born son through Sarah. Eventually, this comes to pass. The dysfunction happens in between.

 

Before Abraham and Sarah saw the faithfulness of God’s promise, which took about 25 years, they began to doubt. Sarah was so frustrated that she couldn’t have children, she told Abraham to sleep with the house servant. In her mind, this was a way to give her husband what he always wanted - a son. It’s weird how our insecurities create dysfunction in our families, right?

 

After Abraham slept with Hagar, she conceived. When Sarah heard the news, she became angry and began blaming Abraham! Sarah gave him permission and was angry at him for following through. Let this be a cautionary story to all the husbands out there! LOL

 

Because Sarah is angry and blaming him, Abraham is in a scramble as any husband would be. He says to Sarah, “Your slave is in your hands. “Do with her whatever you think best.”

-Gen.16:6

 

After Abraham punks out, the Bible says that Sarah began to mistreat Hagar. Honestly, you have to be pretty angry to start hitting a pregnant woman. Dysfunctional, right? The mistreatment became so bad that Hagar decided to run away.

 

The beautiful part of this story is that an Angel of the Lord finds Hagar in the desert. The angel began to question Hagar and asked her to go back to Abraham and Sarah and submit to them! Go back to the dysfunctional relationship, God? You’re crazy!

 

But before God sends her back, He speaks to her and says that He is going to bless her and her descendants.

 

Hagar is so encouraged that she replied, “You are the God who sees me”. “I have now seen the One who sees me.” The only thing that changed in Hagar’s situation was that the Lord saw her and she saw Him. She still had to go back to this difficult situation but she was filled differently. She was confident that the Lord was on her side and that He was going to bless her.

 

It’s easy to run away from hard things. That seems to be the most logical answer. But it isn’t always the right answer.

 

I’m not encouraging women to go back to an abuser. I’m encouraging people to not run away from all dysfunctional situations. Running shouldn't be the first response. Allowing God to speak into you should.

 

When God speaks, it fills us in ways that nothing else in this world can. When He sees you and you see Him, you can face anything in this life. He is our champion.

 

I encourage you, today, to find God. He is the answer to your difficulty, not anything else. He knows the right steps to take. He is able to empower you to face things that are too big for you.

 

Allow the story of Hagar to bring life to you today. He is the God that sees you!

 

Blessings,

Pastor Chad  

 

 

Chad Fagundes is Men’s and Outreach Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at chad@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

Why is the Old Testament So Hard?

 There are several reasons why the Old Testament (OT) is more difficult to read and understand than the New Testament:

·  It’s not chronological

·  It’s set in a vastly different time and culture

·  It’s not even a lot of story; it’s a lot of history

 

So, some time ago, I set out to gain a better understanding of the elusive OT. First, I tackled one of the challenges by reading a chronological version of the Bible. You can find them easily on the YouVersion Bible app or another app of your choosing. I read/listened to the Bible, chronologically, in a year. I’m into my second year and it has helped me make more orderly sense of the Old Testament, in particular. It’s also very important to have a version of the Bible that you can understand. My first childhood experience with the Bible was a family heirloom, King James Version, which might as well have been written in Greek. I just couldn’t understand it.

 

Secondly, I started digging into the context, history, and setting of the verse or book I was reading.  How you may ask? There are a number of study tools available such as study Bibles, concordances, Bible dictionaries, Bible atlases, etc. However, if you don’t want to invest in these tools, you can always use our good ol’ friend, Google. Type in any question and begin learning! Just be careful to use reliable sources!

 

Once, the OT book starts to become more understandable to you, you’ll begin to see God’s intentional desire for relationship with man. You’ll also see how the Old Testament over and over again points to the coming of Jesus, as the fulfillment and personification of God and His love for us.

 

For example, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (NKJV) To me, this verse encourages me to live my life according to what God has already shown me so that I can walk humbly with Him.

 

As I searched a little, I learned that Micah was a prophet whose name meant, ‘who is like God’. He lived approximately 750-700 BC. I found out that Micah actually wrote these words to Jerusalem as a harsh warning about the way they were living as they continued to turn away from God. He points out that God has already shown them how they should live. He gave them the Ten Commandments through Moses (my comment, not Micah’s). He summarizes, indicating they are to be fair and treat others with kindness, which will bring about the ability to walk humbly with God. This speaks to a unity with God in these particular areas. It points to the fact that this is the nature of God. He is fair and He is merciful. Micah also references a coming judgment on those who continue on the path of wickedness.

 

Additionally, he tells them God will send a new king to rule. This King, Jesus, will do justice, will love mercy, and He will walk humbly with God. (Micah 5:2-5). He even prophesizes that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem!

 

Applying this one OT story to our lives today shows hope - even in the midst of harsh warnings about disobedience. We see indications of God’s plan of redemption for us and His desire to be in relationship with us. Sending Jesus to reunite us with Him has always been God’s (and Jesus’s) plan.

 

Typing in a simple question about the meaning of one of my favorite Bible verses – one that gives me direction and gives me comfort – turned into a short study on the entire seven chapters of the book of Micah. It also gave me a greater understanding of God and His promises, plans, and hopes for me.

 

Whatever we read, Old or New Testament, our goal should always be to learn the voice, mind and heart of God.

 

My challenge is for you to get a Bible you understand, read it often and a little at a time, and spend even just a few minutes digging a bit deeper. The time you invest, large or small, will produce in you a greater understanding of God and what He desires for you and for your life.

 

 

Sylvia Gaston is Family Ministry Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at sylvia@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

My Journey to Jesus

When I was a teenager attending a youth group pool party, one of my friends brought a tape player and played Amy Grant's album, Father's Eyes. Wow! My brain exploded! Although we were in a contemporary choir at church, this music was, well…normal. It sounded like the music on the radio and not church music. The lyrics spoke to my soul and I immediately desired to hear more. Of course, I was an instant Amy Grant fan. As soon as I could, I went to the local Christian bookstore and bought one of her albums.

 

I was raised Catholic and faith was a very important part of my family life. We attended church every Sunday. My mother was very open to discussing religion and she had many opinions about the church's teachings and traditions. Dad would just say that "faith is simple”. He was a man of few words, but when he did speak, his words always held great meaning.

 

On Sunday mornings, mom and dad would take me to church early for choir rehearsal and then drive to the beach and have coffee and chat. Dad said that those were the moments that he felt God the most. When he developed Meniere’s Disease, a disease of the inner ear that causes severe vertigo and nausea, he couldn't stand to be in a big room with many voices and other sounds. He would get dizzy and sick to his stomach. After that, his "church" became the beach where he often went to talk to God.

 

With an open-minded mom and a dad with simple faith, I began to seek out God in new ways. During this time, I began to understand Him more through books, music and reading the Bible.

 

I met my future husband when I was finishing my senior year in high school. He was a convert to Catholicism and he and I always had a lot of interesting things to talk about. One day, as I was studying Jesus' last week on earth, it was my husband who helped me understand the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Once, for all.

 

A few weeks later, as I was driving home from work, I finally got it. I remember exactly where I was. At a stop light at 190th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance, California, listening to an Amy Grant song, I realized that God truly loved me! I am saved by grace, by the work of the cross through Jesus Christ. There is nothing I can do to earn this gift. It is a free gift from God when I confess my sins, turn from them and turn to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.

 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 NIV

 

My husband and I were married a few years later and served faithfully in our church for ten years. It was at that time that we realized that we could no longer call ourselves Catholic and God led us to another church.

Since the age of 12, I have participated in many choirs and worship teams. I play several instruments and even participated in recording an album. Because of my love for Jesus, I am able to love others and seek to understand them. I am at heart a shy person, but God gives me the supernatural ability to serve others.

 

What does your faith journey look like? I’m sure it’s very unique, just like mine. God truly meets us where we’re at and guides us into all truth. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good!

 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” ~Jesus, teaching the disciples in the Upper Room, as quoted by John 16:13 NLT

 

 

Paula Aiton is a member of the Koinonia Church worship team and a freelance writer, musician and artist. Her blog, ‘God’s Glory Girl’, can be found at godsglorygirl.com