Mount of Olives Church

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. One rainy day, I got a call from the church office saying the Rock roof was leaking, and asking if I could check it out. Upon inspection, I found out that the HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) duct work had been damaged and water was collecting on the duct work and leaking inside. How it got damaged is another story. So I contacted two HVAC companies and received bids to do the repairs. One was for $10k the other was for $8K. That was way too much, so I talked to a few people and contacted Mount of Olives member, John Linder. We formulated a repair plan, and after about two days of work, we fixed the duct work and stopped the leaks for a fraction of the estimated cost. God has provided us with the ability to help others (our church) by performing repairs. We have the gift of being able to help make repairs, and you also have some gifts....

I have a dear friend, Ron, who has been a Christian for over 20 years. He likes to talk about when he gets together with his old friends, and they talk about the “new Ron” versus the “old Ron”, and how his demeanor, desires and temperament have changed. He truly loves Jesus Christ. I think it is just so wonderful that his friends know exactly when he changed and why the change occurred. He is truly a new creation. But here’s the key, he works at it every single day. And these are challenges that help him to grow and strengthen his faith. When we honor Jesus, our lives should reflect the difference knowing Him has made to each of us. We ought to be a new creation. Our motivations and desires should change...so should our behavior. And we ought to be sensitive to others with whom we share our faith; loving them as genuinely and earnestly as we possibly can. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a rea...

1 Peter 1:3 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Here the Apostle Peter says God is “blessed”. It doesn’t mean we could bless God as in a benediction, but rather, it is a word of praise and thanksgiving to God. We are thankful, He says, for several things. He says we are thankful for His “great mercy”. There is a difference between grace and mercy. Grace means we are given something we don’t deserve (like forgiveness), and mercy means we do not receive something we do deserve (like judgement). So we have received mercy because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and not God’s punishment, for Jesus took our punishment for us. He goes on to say He has “caused us to be born again”, which is in the passive and means it is done to you and not by you. You were born again in your baptism which is what Nicodemus was told in John 3 when J...

In a "Peanuts" cartoon strip, good old Charlie Brown says to Linus, "Life is just too much for me. I’ve been confused from the day I was born. I think the whole trouble is that we’re thrown into life too fast. We’re not really prepared." Linus asks, "What did you want . . . a chance to warm up first?" We are now in the Advent season. The Advent season is supposed to be our chance to warm up. The word Advent means to await – we await the coming of the King, Jesus Christ. It’s the time to prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of the Christ child. However, as we wait and prepare for Christmas, it is also a time when we grow in our discipleship by waiting and preparing for His birth. Allow the waiting and preparing you do to translate into the years to come and the rest of your life. Take time to pray and study God’s Word, and allow it to become a new habit in your life. 1 Peter 1:13 ESV Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, ...

Someone once called a pastor to say he wanted to become a church member. However, he went on to explain that he did not want to: worship every week, study the Bible, visit the sick, or serve as a leader or teacher. The minister commended him for his desire to be a church member, but told him the church he was looking for was located in another part of town. The man wrote down the address and hung up. When he arrived at that address, the man came face to face with the result of his own attitude of not wanting to be involved....There stood an abandoned church building boarded up and ready for demolition. (author unknown) I have had a long ministry as a pastor. And through this time, I have always noticed there are a certain number of people who come sporadically, only want to sit in the pew and do nothing. They will not get involved, beyond sitting in the pew, no matter what I say or do. They just won’t do it. I have also tried to understand why this happens. I am sure that most of the t...

When I was in high school, I remember coming home from church one Sunday very inspired by a particular Bible verse. In those days, the scripture lessons that were read in church were printed on the back of the bulletin. I remember telling my mother about the verse, and she had the same feeling when she heard it read that Sunday. It spoke so deeply to me I actually cut it out and kept in a prominent place.  The verse was I Peter 5:6-11. At the time, the verse was from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, but recently I read it in The Message Bible. The Message Bible is in a more modern language. In some ways, it has even more power. 1 Peter 5:6-11 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.  Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the...