Living Faith Alliance Church

Church Office

A Masterpiece

So you suffer from a medical condition. Maybe your spouse left you. Can’t hold a job because of your temper. Couldn’t finish your education and it feels you’re not intelligent enough. At your age, you should be a homeowner but you’re still not. Your child got so off course you doubt you were a good parent. The list goes on. Your thoughts tell you that you don’t really measure up. You feel there is so much at which you have failed. The list of sins and failures in your life outnumbers the positive things you can say about yourself. You feel like you’re just an average individual, and sometimes you even doubt that!

God created you. If you don’t believe that, you might as well stop reading now. When you understand that God created you, a very interesting way of thinking unlocks the wisdom that comes with knowing God created a masterpiece. You see? God made many magnificent, awe inspiring creations. He created water, light, the skies, land, the seas, the sun and the moon, vegetation, animals, birds…the scripture tells how each time God created these things He thought they were “good.” And they were; they are. But it is not until He creates mankind that the book of Genesis mentions God thought it was “very good.” We were created in His image and likeness. The book of Ephesians tells how we are God’s own handiwork. One version actually calls us “masterpieces.”

So what if you’re still struggling with the addiction, the sickness? Does it mean you’re any less because you are divorced? The way you’ve lost opportunities due to your poor personal character does not define you. Just because you’re not at the financial level in which you should be, you're not a failure. The  fact that your child chose the wrong course doesn’t make you a failed parent. That mentality will keep you from reaching your full potential in life. When God made you, He chose excellence. He knew each and every mistake you would make along the way, yet He still considered you a masterpiece. Remember the psalmist mentions how we were knitted together in our mother’s womb. There is nothing average or less than about you. You are a masterpiece. So it doesn’t feel or look like that right now? Think about this:

When you look at the Mona Lisa or the sculpture of David, you see greatness. These are works that are valued in the millions of dollars because of who created them. But if you were to find a replica of Davinci’s painting or Michaelangelo’s sculpture, they would not be worth nearly as much, if anything. The painting would just be a canvas with colors on it and the sculpture just a statue of a naked man. But knowing who made these separates them from what is common and assigns great value to them. I bet that when these two artists began creating these worldly masterpieces it took time for them to become what they ultimately did. At some point, the Mona Lisa painting looked average, unfinished. David’s statue probably looked like a shapeless piece of metamorphic rock. But their creator had a vision of what they would look like. The same is true with OUR creator, God. What if you began to see yourself in that light? You were wonderfully and fearfully created by the maker of the universe, the God who spoke worlds into existence. With His mere words, light was created. The next time you doubt that, just remember that there are approximately 2.4 billion believing christians in the world who believe that. They can’t all be mistaken. It is true! God created you in His image to do the good things He planned for you, period. It’s no accident you are here.

But it is up to you to receive this. Only you can stop the negative thinking and begin living like the masterpiece you are. If it feels like you don’t measure up, that’s because you are still a work-in-progress. 2nd Samuel reminds us that God is our refuge. He makes our way clear and perfect. So regardless of how things look right now, remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. He created you with a purpose and He will see it through. Make no mistake that He (God) who began a good work in you (even as early as in your mother’s womb) will carry it on until completion. 

God bless,

R. Bermudez


Una Obra Maestra

Entonces sufres de una condición médica; Quizás tu cónyuge te dejó; No puedes conservar un trabajo debido a tu temperamento; No pudiste terminar tu educación y sientes que no eres lo suficientemente inteligente; A tu edad deberías ser propietario de una vivienda pero todavía no lo eres; Ese hijo se desvió tanto que usted duda de haber sido un buen padre; La lista continúa. Tus pensamientos te dicen que realmente no estás a la altura. Sientes que hay muchas cosas en las que has fallado. La lista de pecados y fracasos en tu vida supera en número las cosas positivas que puedes decir sobre ti mismo. ¡Te sientes como si fueras un individuo promedio y a veces incluso lo dudas!

Dios te creó. Si no lo crees, es mejor que dejes de leer ahora. Cuando comprendes que Dios te creó, una forma muy interesante de pensar desbloquea la sabiduría que viene al saber que Dios creó una obra maestra. ¿Verás? Dios hizo muchas creaciones magníficas e inspiradoras. Creó el agua, la luz, los cielos, la tierra, los mares, el sol y la luna, la vegetación, los animales, las aves… Las Escrituras cuentan cómo cada vez que Dios creó estas cosas, pensó que eran “buenas”. Y lo fueron; lo son. Pero no es hasta que crea a la humanidad cuando el libro del Génesis menciona que Dios pensó que era: “muy bueno." Fuimos creados a Su imagen y semejanza. El libro de Efesios cuenta cómo somos obra de Dios. De hecho, una versión nos llama "obras maestras".

¿Y qué pasa si todavía estás luchando contra la adicción? ¿la enfermedad? ¿Significa que eres menos porque estás divorciado? La forma en que has perdido oportunidades debido a tu pobre carácter personal no te define. Sólo porque no estás en el nivel financiero en que deberías estar, no eres un fracaso. El hecho de que ese hijo haya elegido el camino equivocado no lo convierte en un padre fracasado. Esa mentalidad le impedirá alcanzar su máximo potencial en la vida. Cuando Dios te creó, eligió la excelencia. Él conocía todos y cada uno de los errores que cometerías en el camino, pero aun así te consideraba una obra maestra. Recuerde que el salmista menciona cómo fuimos tejidos en el vientre de nuestra madre. No hay nada promedio o menos que en ti. Eres una obra maestra. ¿Entonces no se siente ni se ve así en este momento? Piensa sobre esto:

Cuando miras una pintura de la Mona Lisa o la escultura de David vez grandeza. Son obras valoradas en millones de dólares debido a quién las creó. Pero si encontraras una réplica de la pintura de Davinci o de la escultura de Miguel Ángel, no valdrían tanto, en todo caso. La pintura sería simplemente un lienzo con colores y la escultura sería simplemente una estatua de un hombre desnudo. Pero saber quién los creó los separa de lo común y les asigna un gran valor. Apuesto a que cuando estos dos artistas comenzaron a crear estas obras maestras mundanas, les tomó tiempo convertirse en lo que finalmente hicieron. En algún momento, la pintura de Mona Lisa parecía normal, sin terminar. La estatua de David probablemente parecía un trozo informe de roca metamórfica. Pero su creador tuvo una visión de cómo serían. Lo mismo ocurre con NUESTRO creador, Dios. ¿Qué pasaría si comenzaras a verte a ti mismo bajo esa luz? Fuiste creado maravillosa y terriblemente por el creador del universo. El Dios que habló para que los mundos existieran. Con sus simples palabras,  creó la luz. La próxima vez que dudes de eso, recuerda que hay aproximadamente 2.4 billones de cristianos creyentes en el mundo que creen eso. No todos pueden estar equivocados. ¡Es verdad! Dios te creó a su imagen para hacer las cosas buenas que planeó para ti, punto. No es casualidad que estés aquí.

Pero depende de ti recibir esto. Sólo tú puedes detener el pensamiento negativo y comenzar a vivir como la obra maestra que eres. Si sientes que no estás a la altura, es porque todavía eres un trabajo en progreso. 2da Samuel nos recuerda que Dios es nuestro refugio. Él hace nuestro camino claro y perfecto. Entonces, independientemente de cómo se vean las cosas ahora, recuerda que Dios no comete errores. Él te creó con un propósito y lo cumplirá. No te equivoques, aquel (Dios) que comenzó una buena obra en ti (incluso desde el vientre de tu madre) la continuará hasta completarla.

Dios los bendiga,

R. Bermudez 

Maranatha

As a young teenage Christian, still glowing with romance toward Jesus, I was introduced to books like Lindsay's Late, Great, Planet Earth that filled me with hopeful wonder that these things would indeed happen in my lifetime. The age of Aquarius was turning out to be only a pipe dream, and although the Vietnam War was winding down, we never achieved what we said in songs and proclamations. Our Nation had recently experienced the Jesus revolution, the birth of the Catholic charismatic movement, and we were hearing reports of great spiritual outpourings worldwide. The belief in a miraculous God who still did signs and wonders was taking root among evangelicals, and there were revivals in South America, Indonesia, Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Rim. As conversion rates took off, it looked like we were in the end times.

I must admit that my faith in the teachings of many, however, could not withstand my disbelief at how things like the mark of the beast, world hatred against Jews, massive armies coming against Jerusalem, war materials melting, one world government, and blood flowing as deep as a horse's bridle could ever come to pass. I found it challenging to imagine governments controlling speech, who could buy and sell, or worldwide tepid response to terrorist attacks.

It's nearly 2024, and I can believe those things are both possible and probable. Covid showed how easy it might be for governments to enforce compliance among free people without military force. What once placed a platoon leader in prison for Mai Lai is now debated as what Israel deserves. Who would ever have thought there would be protests in our universities and streets where some would call for the death of Jews or that one could see the Juden star once again placed on homes and businesses in Germany or the cities of allies who gave their sons to end the terror of Hitler? Add the specter of digital currency around the corner, and I wonder if I should revisit Hal Lindsay and similar works.

I probably won't seek out Hal, but this I will give my heart to because they are the words of my beloved:

Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against Nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers[c] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near."

Luke 21: 10-28 ESV

 I can see the beginning of some handwriting on the wall of humanity. The historical and technological stage is shaping up in ways that point to the biblical narrative or might deliver us to it. However, I choose not to fear or get weird about what is coming down the pike. Most importantly, with all my might, I will determine to look up and raise my head because my redemption is drawing near. We used to say, "Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus." I'm bringing that out of my mental mothballs to help me see world happenings, not in the pattern of the world, with fear, but in the faith of the Son of God.

Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus.

—George Davis

Jesus Christ - The Eternal Foundation

People are going crazy. We are losing our minds. We are destroying ourselves and each other. How can we make sense of the madness?

God gives the answer. We have committed two sins:  We have forsaken Him, the spring of living water, and have dug our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. The Apostle Paul puts it like this: We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator.  Why does this have such dire consequences?

In Romans 8, Paul exposes a problem with trusting in what has been created,

For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Here Paul reminds us of all of creation’s “bondage to decay” because of our sin. Creation is decaying. It is fleeting. Dependance on the temporary ends in despair. Have you ever trusted in something that gave way? The immediate feeling of terror leaves one grasping for anything nearby to hold on to. While climbing a tree, I once trusted in a branch that broke under my weight.  In desperation I reached for anything to help stop my fall.  I was terrified as the lower branches that once held my weight could no longer handle my increasing downward momentum. Likewise, when the things we trust in give way, we immediately reach out to that old relationship, next vacation, or nearest drug to stop the fall. We struggle to survive at all costs, bringing others down in the process. Can anything stop our great descent?

Hallelujah, there is One who can bear the weight of the fall. There is a Savior from the corruption.

“The sovereign LORD says, “Behold, I laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.” – Isaiah 28:16

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – 1 Cor 3:11

May the chaos within and without cause us to lift our eyes and see the man upon the cross. He bore our curse and did not see decay. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the eternal foundation we must build our lives upon. In Christ alone, our hope is steadfast and out of this world.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

New Resolve After 55 Years in My Wheelchair

Who am I that God should be mindful of me? I am poor and needy of God every moment of every day. And God uses everything in my life for His good purposes; nothing is wasted. If these thoughts and questions sound significant to you, please check out this blog by Joni Eareckson Tada, who is “heaven-bent on honoring my Jesus, serving others, finishing the race, and completing the task of testifying to gospel grace.”

Testimony

Lauran Parson’s shared the following testimony at her graduation from Empower. We thought it was powerful and wanted everyone to hear it!

August 2020 was the first time I had heard about Empower. I didn’t understand what the class was about, but with just moving, pandemic hitting, and homeschooling for the first time, I quickly declined. After my second decline there was unrest in me. I was working hard to be physically healthy, to provide for my family, but all that hard work left little to no room for my spiritual health. I decided to read my Bible, and it was while reading Proverbs I heard the repeated call to wisdom. As a mom, how could I hope to raise Christian children if I didn’t know the fundamentals of my own faith, my spiritual gifts, or my purpose? So Empower came up again, and I decided maybe it was time. If I didn’t commit and make the time happen, when would it ever happen? I was afraid of the financial cost, but I felt God reminding me of all the times He’s provided, and wasn’t learning about Him worth that price? God likes to ask me questions. I think He knows it helps me find the holes in my own logic. So I jumped in right before the semester began. It started off fast and kept me on my toes the whole time.

God has done amazing things. This time was harder than I could imagine. We struggled financially, my children’s health came into question, and my workload increased. BUT God…He showed up at every place of struggle and kept me. With financial struggles in our midst God asked me to trust Him with moving. We closed last week on a home that was more than I could have asked for. I felt peace, and His presence stayed close as I sat by my son’s bed on the DuPont cardiac floor and saw amazing healing happen for our son. I was able to reveal deep wounds to God, and He showed me He was there; I finally knew I was never alone. He was and is El Roi, the God who sees. He also taught me I can serve like Martha, but He wanted my heart like Mary’s more. I want to tell you of one specific miracle that took place in my life recently. While praying for my husband’s pain in the middle of the night, everything I learned about spiritual authority and God’s power came to mind. While we prayed in the quiet night, my husband’s back cracked with no movement and was healed. His pain he’d been suffering for years was gone. I don’t think I can explain the feeling of awe at our God’s power in that moment.

There are many more stories I could share, but I’d like to say thank you to the leaders of Empower for bringing the knowledge and path for me to follow and thank you even more Lord for your mercy, grace, and love. It is by you and for you I’ve come this far.

Philippians 4:19 tells us: “My God will meet all of our needs according to the riches of His Glory in Christ Jesus.”

May we continue to grow in our true identity as precious daughters of the most high King, may we walk in the fullness and richness that it comes only from our heavenly father. Thank you.

—Lauran Parsons

Love to the Uttermost

John Piper give us a small taste of the depth of Jesus’ love for us in this article.

Take a look!

Depth of Love for Us

As I have pondered the love of Christ for us, and the different ways that the Bible presents it to us, I have seen four ways that the depth of Christ’s love is revealed.

First, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by what it costs him. If he sacrifices his life for us, it assures us of deeper love than if he only sacrifices a few bruises. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love by the greatness of what it cost him.

Second, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by how little we deserve it. If we have treated him well all our life, and have done all that he expects of us, then when he loves us, it will not prove as much love as it would if he loved us when we had offended him, and shunned him, and disdained him. The more undeserving we are, the more amazing and deep is his love for us. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love in relation to how undeserving are the objects of his love (Romans 5:5–8).

Third, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by the greatness of the benefits we receive in being loved. If we are helped to pass an exam, we will feel loved in one way. If we are helped to get a job, we will feel loved another way. If we are helped to escape from an oppressive captivity and given freedom for the rest of our life, we will feel loved another way. And if we are rescued from eternal torment and given a place in the presence of God with fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore, we will know a depth of love that surpasses all others (1 John 3:1–3). So we will see the depth of Christ’s love by the greatness of the benefits we receive in being loved by him.

Fourth, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by the freedom with which they love us. If a person does good things for us because someone is making him, when he doesn’t really want to, then we don’t think the love is very deep. Love is deep in proportion to its liberty. So if an insurance company pays you $40,000 because you lose your spouse, you don’t usually marvel at how much this company loves you. There were legal constraints. But if your Sunday School class makes all your meals for a month after your spouse dies, and someone calls you every day, and visits you every week, then you call it love, because they don’t have to do this. It is free and willing. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love for us in his freedom: “No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).

To push this truth to the limit, let me quote for you a psalm that the New Testament applies to Jesus (Hebrews 10:9). It refers to his coming into the world to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin: “I delight to do your will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). The ultimate freedom is joy. He rejoiced to do his redeeming work for us. The physical pain of the cross did not become physical pleasure. But Jesus was sustained through it all by joy. He really, really wanted to save us. To gather for himself a happy, holy, praising people. He displayed his love like a husband yearning for a beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25–33).

How Will You Rise?

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,“ Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Why did Jesus give His devoted followers this specific warning? For the answer, we must first take a closer look at yeast.

Yeast is a special, single-cell, living organism that needs food, warmth, and moisture to survive. When given the right environment, it converts its food – sugar and starch – through fermentation, into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Though the science is interesting, most appreciate yeast for another reason. It is the most widely used biological leavening agent. 

It can be used to make bread rise. It can bring something hard and flat to life.

With this in mind, we can better examine Jesus’s warning. What was the “yeast” of the Pharisees and Sadducees? What were they depending on to rise? What did they trust in to bring dead things to life?   

According to their teaching, God could be pleased through efforts of the flesh. In turn, God would bestow the blessing of life. Though one focused more on the power of the individual and the other on the power of community, both ultimately trusted in the efforts of man to rise to God. This is the way of ascension that the enemy offered in the garden and continues to offer today. The prince and the power of the air offers a way to become like God apart from God to please God.

Subtly, the yeast of the Pharisees spreads throughout our world, even into the corners of our churches, homes, and hearts. This leaven leads to hypocrisy. We must sweep it out completely since a little yeast can spread throughout the whole batch. To be saved on the first passover, the Israelites had to do more than place the blood of a perfect lamb over their door. They also had to remove all the leaven from their houses.  

May we head Paul’s warning to the Galatians:

Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

You and I must continually consider and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. By His Spirit we will rise.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

P.S.  Salt stops the spread of yeast ;)

*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.

The Path of Integrity

Proverbs 10:9 “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out”

The other day my father was going to paint the floors in his business, and because I use the place for some personal vehicle maintenance after hours, I thought it would be a cool thing to stop by and help out. “Need help?”…Sure! My son Matthew works there, so he was asked to help. My son and father spent the day before sanding all the floors, so they were ready for paint. I looked over the paint supplies he had and there was only one roller with a pole handle. My son grabbed that and starts out in the back. Looks like I get the brush. I said, “Hold up; we have to cut some things in before you go at it and roller us right into a corner.” So I crawled back into this place that only construction guys have seen; it’s under a stairway back a long shelved out hallway in a storeroom. This spot is where boxes of antifreeze are stored. I don’t even think my father has been in that place. Spider webs, dust on the walls, painting slop everywhere, but the floor was clean as it could be. So in the visible parts I did some great cut in lines where they needed to be and when I got to the part that no one sees, I paused. There are going to be boxes and supplies in front of all the attempted artwork I was about to do. I was lying on my side and not so comfortable. I could have been sloppy just like the old paint that’s there and ‘get’er done’... or… <big pause> “Lord, beside doing a perfect job with this, what would you do?”  The next thing I thought of was “Walk in Integrity”. It was that little whisper. Do just as good a job back here as out there where everyone sees. With that thought I started to cut-in the edges like they should be.

path.jpeg

I could have done anything that day, but the thing I remember most was not that I was even there, but that “I walked in the path of integrity” when the temptation to do otherwise was there. Another building block in the foundation of my life. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of the Matthew 7:24-27 verses that discuss what happens when a man builds his house on the rock verses building his house on the sand. Notice the similarity with Proverbs 10:9? Rock vs sand, security vs exposure, stability vs destruction. And in a neat implication, it’s a building process.

Is our journey through this life providing building blocks for eternity’s sake? Will whatever we are doing stand the storms of life? Are we building on the Rock?

Back to the painting story…then my son goes back in that hole and paints the floor. What he didn’t see was a “who cares sloppy mess”.  He saw “a walk in integrity “ ( I didn’t see that coming at all ).

Thank you Lord for planting those verses in my heart and giving me direction.

—Brian Rainey

 

Powered by Squarespace