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

Let Us Pray

I have come to realize that there is a panic about prayer. Some say they don’t know how to pray. Some don’t know where to start. If you’re anything like me, there is a fear of praying because we don’t know what the outcome may be. Others believe God simply won’t hear them in their time of need. All of these thoughts are lies, confusion, and deception driven by Satan. Let’s shed some light on these thoughts.

 

How to pray-

 “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” 

-Matthew 6:6-7

 

When we pray, it should be an intimate moment between God and us. It doesn’t always need to be by ourselves or behind closed doors. Even when we pray publicly, it can still be intimate -  just you and Jesus - giving your all to Him. Some of us do get into the habit of repetitive prayer. We want so badly for our prayers to be heard by God, we think repeating or “babbling”, as scripture refers to it, is the key to getting God to hear us. God knows our hearts and prayers before we even say a word.

 

 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 

-1Peter 5:7

 

If I’m being honest, praying is never at the forefront of my mind. I have no problem praying for others, but because I naturally love to take things into my own hands, praying comes as a last resort for myself. I want to do everything myself and be the fixer of all things. All the while, I am stressed and overwhelmed. I can easily imagine God sitting back, with His arms crossed, waiting for me to let Him take over. Prayer invites God into our situation. Although He knows all and sees all that you are going through, He won’t force Himself on you. He wants to be invited. This requires us to have humility. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us to “Humble ourselves UNDER God’s mighty hand…” (emphasis mine). When I imagine humility, I imagine a position of lowliness, a position of letting something or someone come above me. When we are not able to do that, we are operating in a position of pride. We need to place ourselves under His authority.

 

Some question whether God really hears our prayers? I hear this a lot and have struggled with it before. Many think that because God has not answered their prayer, He’s obviously not listening. Psalm 116:2 tells us, “Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”

 

Not only does God listen, He bends down to listen. He is front row to your prayers! Dare I say, it is us who are in a rush. There is a sweet moment after we make our requests and prayers known to God that we sit, dependent on Him, waiting on Him, trusting in Him. It is us who are on a timeline. God is not bound by time. He answers every prayer in an instant. At His right time; in His perfect will. He hears you.

 

Sometimes, we see prayer as something we only do if we’re in a certain position. Prayer is communication between you and your Father in heaven. It is powerful, it is intimate, and it works! He is waiting for you to sit with Him and share your heart. He is listening.

 

 

Vanessa Ausbie is on staff at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at vanessa@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

How to Suffer Well

Throughout history, there have been many struggles for people - war, famine, sickness. Not just in the physical world, but in our emotions as well - heartbreak, anxiety, depression. Sometimes, our view of suffering needs to be refocused. In this day and age, we still have these struggles. Some are more magnified than ever before. In the book of First Peter, we get a look at how God has called us to respond to the suffering and hardships we go through. As always, God is good and we are called to a specific purpose in the midst of a fallen world. Here are four examples of what we are meant to think of in times of hardship:

 

1. Expect suffering to happen

“The fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing,

 as though some strange things were happening to you.” -

1 Peter 4:12

 

This is the least exciting of them all. We often pray that God would keep us from the suffering, but in a fallen world this is going to happen. We should not look for it, or seek it in any way, but it will happen, and we need to be ready. When bad things happen to us, or our loved ones, it is not the overall will of God, but the result of a fallen world.

 

2. You are blessed to suffer

“Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. 

And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.” 

1 Peter 3:14

 

We are blessed during this time of suffering. The biggest issue with this truth is that we stop looking for the blessing because of the pain. We should count our blessings as often as we can. They are numerous in the midst of a loving God.

 

3. Keep God first

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone 

who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”

1 Peter 3:15

 

If we believe that His ways are higher than ours, then when trouble come, we can give an account of His plan and not ours. This can be tough because we see the simple ways to make everything right, but God sees the best ways to make everything right. Cling to God’s word as guidance, not on the advice of men that just try to hack the system of this world.

 

4. Keep on Rejoicing

“But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, 

that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad, with exceeding joy.” -

1 Peter 3:15

 

We praise the Lord often for the suffering that He endured for us. In this unfair world, we get the opportunity to suffer. I don't praise the Lord because I suffer, I praise the Lord because I have the opportunity to share in His work. If we keep his ways higher than ours, there is always something to praise. If we focus in on the things that we don't have, we won't find thankfulness. We have been given more then we can ever deserve. Rejoice in the Lord always because He is good!

 

The subject of suffering is not a good one, but it is something that we will all know in this life. How we react during that time, will not only help define who we are, but will help define who God is to us.

Rene Solis is Director of Koinonia School of Ministry, a ministry of Koinonia Church, in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at ksm@kcfchurch.org or by calling 559-582-1528.

Psalm 51

Psalm 51:10-13 has become such a fundamental part of my life, I have long since memorized it and let it sink deeply into my heart. These verses represent a contrite heart. The writer, King David, was desperate to be forgiven by God after his many grievous sins (see 2 Samuel, Chapters 11-12).

 

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

    Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence,

    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and make me willing to obey you.

Then I will teach your ways to rebels,

    and they will return to you. (vs 10-13)

 

What touches me most about this scripture is King David's sincere desire to be reconciled to God. He wants to be close to God, restored, joyful and willing to obey. There have been many times when I've prayed these verses as my own plea to God to forgive me, draw me close, restore me and give me a second, third, fourth(!) chance.

 

The most beautiful love of God is shown in His patient and constant interest in forgiving us, especially when we come to Him with a broken and contrite spirit. Approaching Him with true repentance and a desire to change and turn away from sin is what touches God's heart. 

 

According to the dictionary, being contrite is "feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt". In today's society, there's not much interest in feeling guilty or remorseful. We live in a world where pretty much anything goes. You'll hear the phrase, "As long as you're not hurting anyone, it's OK." What does that mean? Of course, you're hurting someone! You! Those sins that are done in secret, those habits that hurt your health and welfare, those addictions that make you pass out at midnight when you need to get up at 5:30 for work, will catch up to you. We can't run from God or ourselves. At some point, we have to stop, turn around and confront the sinful situation that we are in. That's when we can relate to King David in these verses.

 

When you read the entirety of Psalm 51, you find these opening verses: 

 

Have mercy on me, O God,

    because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion,

    blot out the stain of my sins.

Wash me clean from my guilt.

    Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my rebellion;

    it haunts me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned (vs 1-4)

 

David is acknowledging that God is the only one who can cleanse him and purify him from his sins. When we acknowledge the true state of our souls, we are faced with our need for Jesus. Through Jesus, we are forgiven. Through Jesus, we are cleansed. Through Jesus, we are restored. 

 

In addition to Psalm 51, there are a series of verses in the book of Romans that are often referred to as "The Romans Road to Salvation". It is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.

 

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Romans 3:10 “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous, not even one.’”

Romans 5:12 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Roman 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Romans 10:9-10 “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

 

If you have never confessed your sins to God with a contrite heart, and asked Him for forgiveness, won’t you do so now? If you’ve never confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time to do it! Don’t wait! You may not have tomorrow, or even the next hour!

 

Here is a simple prayer that you can pray today, this minute, with God leaning in to hear your heartfelt plea as it says in Psalm 116:2.

 

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your name, Amen."

 

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

 

Have The Right Spirit

I believe there are plenty of things to be afraid of today - changes in our education system, distant wars, and rising prices of goods. These are just a few things that can bring uncertainty to our lives. In talking to friends and coworkers, it seems that we are all trying to cope with things. Many of these things we have very little say or control over, so what can we do?

 

I believe a natural response to these times is fear . . . and not the good kind. Proverbs mentions that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom (9:10). I don’t think it’s wrong to have fear, but we need to focus on the right kind.

 

If you are a Christ-follower and have been influenced by fear, I am here to tell you that it’s ok. You are not a failure for experiencing human emotions. We are, however, called to rise above those emotions and act differently. Let’s look at 2 Timothy 1:7:

 

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (ESV)

 

God has given us a spirit of Power. We have the power to influence our immediate surroundings and we shouldn’t take this for granted. I remember talking to a friend of mine years ago about possibly sponsoring a child. I remember him saying, “there are so many kids in the world, we can’t possibly save all of them”. He was looking at the world as a whole and became unintentionally apathetic about the possibility of helping. I couldn’t save all the children but I did have the power to save one. We should not discount our worth or role in this life because of the immense problems the world faces. We can make a difference in our immediate circle, at our kids’ schools, and in our places of work and worship. We have power to help those around us.

 

Following power, God has given us a spirit of Love. It is certainly easy to have an “us” and “them” mentality, whoever “them” may be. But consider this: Jesus died for ALL mankind. We have the power to love those who disagree with us, who have it out for us, and who even hate us. I think of Jesus, upon being crucified, telling the Father, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” He had the power to forgive and love those who persecuted and killed him. This is an amazing power, and one that I would personally like to use more often.

 

Lastly, God has given us a spirit of self-control. How often do we feel the need to share our opinions, make sure our voices are heard, or ensure those around us know that we are right? This doesn’t just pertain to opinions either. Self-control can be used in many areas of life. Fear can tell us to hoard toilet paper and to buy gallons of hand sanitizer. But those who have self-control are not controlled by fear. They know that their help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

 

We should not be Christians who act out of fear. Our actions should not be similar to those who do not know the Lord. Instead, our actions should resemble those of a people who know that God is the ultimate authority. We should be people who walk in confidence with a spirit of power, love, and self-control.

 

 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.