Fresh Start Ministry

Great News: Our God is a loving Father who has a wonderful Grand Plan. His whole family will live “happily ever after” with him in a beautiful new world…Jesus Christ has made this wonderful relationship possible by fully paying the debt of all the world’s sin once and for all. We enter this kingdom of God family relationship by his grace through faith in his finished work at the cross. Now, Jesus has poured out his spirit to flow through his new body, “the church” with the purpose of spreading the Good News through all the earth. By the revelation of Christ, lets all continue to enjoy his Grace and extend His Glory to our local communities and to the nations.

Knowledge or Relationship

Do you know Jesus? – Or do you just know about Jesus?

 That is a little different question. It will probably make you think for a minute. Maybe longer. Many people in churches have gotten this confused. There are lots of people who know much about Jesus. We live in the “Bible Belt” with church buildings on every corner. Most children are involved in Sunday school, Awanas, Generation C, & Vacation Bible School where learning Bible Stories & memorizing scripture are promoted. These are great tools to have. We should all study God’s word with great regard & diligence. The problem is we can know all about Jesus without really knowing Him.

God wants to have an intimate relationship with us. The best biblical word for this intimacy is the word “know”. The 1^st use of this word “know” is in Genesis 4:1 – Adam Knew his wife Eve. The definition is to know completely and to be completely known. This describes the intimate relationship we have with our spouse – To be completely known to each other.

This is God’s desire… He wants to know & be known by us. God wants to have the same intimate relationship with us that we have with our spouse – That’s what it really means to know God. All throughout the Bible we see stories of religious people who know about Jesus but didn’t know Him. Time after time Jesus went away from people who knew all about him & He was drawn to those who were sinners but really wanted to know Him.

As a matter of fact, John 15:15 tells us he wants us to be his “Friend”. Servants just do what a master says without understanding his business. God’s desire goes deeper – to be so close that Jesus makes known to us “everything” our Father is doing.

It is great to read your Bible & learn all about God – But what He really desires is to have a Relationship with you that is,

 –Deeper than Deep – All In – Never Look Back –Open Book –

­No Holds Barred – 100% Committed!

 Does this describe the relationship between you & Jesus or do you just drive around with a “Jesus Fish” on the back of your car?

Great News

By: Pastor Dave Philips

Hey, guess what?  Man, do I have good news for you!  The penalty for all your sin has been PAID.  God doesn’t want to judge you or punish you.  He’s not even mad at you.  He loves you and you can be FREE from your struggles with sin and the guilt and shame that go with it.  That’s right, PAID IN FULL.  Justice was accomplished; God accepted the payment of the precious blood of JESUS for the sins of the whole world.  So now, forgiveness and GRACE are offered to anyone and everyone who will believe.
Yet, so many of us struggle with this almost “too good to be true” news, that we still think we must do “PENANCE” or works to show our sorrow and pay for our guilt.  When we hold on to our shame we have trouble offering forgiveness and a true presentation of the “GOSPEL” or “GOOD NEWS” to others.
Let’s get it straight.  JESUS PAID IT ALL!  Repent and believe the good news.  Now start enjoying life knowing that you are right with God.  Right living, love and good deeds will be the overflow of the abundant grace that’s in you.

Parenting with Grace
by Steve Arterburn

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. – Proverbs 3:3

When my daughter, Madeline, was born, we bonded like super­glue. I’d have walked on hot coals for that baby girl! She could do no wrong. I could hardly believe God had given me such a perfect child.

Then, something strange happened. The older she grew, the less perfect she became. What I used to think was cute began to look more like meanness and even downright rebellion.

Consequently, I no longer wanted to be Mr. Wonderful Father. I wanted to send her to reform school! Then a wise man came along­side me. “Don’t give her only what she deserves,” he said, “Give her what she needs—just like Jesus does for us.”

Wow! What a life-changing moment! If Jesus gave me only what I deserved, I’d be condemned to hell. My need was forgiveness, mercy, and grace. How are you at dispensing those?

“Children have more need of models than of critics.” - Carolyn Coats (1947- )

Navigating the World
by Steve Arterburn

. . . I gave you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-19

Jesus Christ calls his followers to be in the world but not of the world. What does this mean? One famous preacher explained it using an analogy of a ship in the ocean.

What’s a ship designed to do? Sail upon the ocean. That’s its ele­ment. That’s precisely where it thrives. The same should be true for Christians in the world. God equips and empowers us to love our neighbors, care for our home and our possessions, and develop culture. We’re to be the world’s salt and light!

Now let’s return to the ship analogy for a moment. What happens if the ocean gets into the ship? Disaster. Destruction. The ship sinks. The same is true for Christians with regard to the world. If the world’s values and allegiances penetrate you, you’ll become hope­lessly confused, contradicted, and compromised.

Set sail, but keep your ship in shape by staying close to God. Read His word. Become a disciple. Spend time with others who believe. You need to be in the world . . . not of it.

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

Happily Incompatible
by Steve Arterburn

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19  

When asked to reveal his secret for staying married for well over half a century, Billy Graham gave a simple, yet somewhat paradoxical answer: “Ruth and I are happily incompatible.”

That’s a great answer to questions everyone inevitably asks themselves at some point during marriage: “How can I stay married to this person?” And, “Did I marry the wrong person?”

But that, “Did I marry the wrong person?” question is a dangerous one. Why? Because it’s framed completely wrong. And wrongly framed questions twist the issue and therefore elicit wrong answers. Furthermore, the question is based upon a serious misunderstanding of marriage itself. And misunderstandings create a fertile field for myths—myths that have the potential to damage your marriage.

When you married (or when you marry) you made a commitment to do certain things, like love, honor & cherish. There weren’t any “out” clauses in case the person wasn’t the right person for you.

Learn to be happily incompatible.

“There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.” – Homer (8th century)

Insight from Chiune Sugihara (Japanese Ambassador)

CHIUNE SUGIHARA WAS BORN on a day of new of new beginnings–January 1, 1900. As a boy, he cherished the dreams of becoming the Japanese Ambassador to Russia. By the 1930s, he was the Ambassador to Lithuania, just a step away from Russia.

One morning, a huge throng of people gathered outside his home. They were Jews, who had made their way across treacherous terrain from Poland, desperately seeking his help. They wanted Japanese visas, which would enable them to flee Europe and the Gestapo.

Three times Sugihara wired Tokyo for permission to provide the visas; three times he was rejected. He had to choose between the fulfillment of his dream and people’s lives. He chose to disobey orders. For twenty-eight days he wrote visas by hand, barely sleeping or eating. Recalled to Berlin, he was still writing visas and shoving them through the train windows into the hands of refugees who ran alongside. Ultimately he saved six thousand lives.

Sugihara was not only a courageous Japanese; he was also a committed Christian. He spent his remaining days in Japan, humbly selling light bulbs. When his story was finally told, his son was asked, “How did your father feel about his choice?” The young man replied, “My father’s life was fulfilled. When God needed him to do the right thing, he was available to do it.”

Point to Ponder:
As we seek to obey God, one of our most powerful assets is a set of proper priorities. What comes first in our lives? Our world places great importance on personal goals, financial achievement, and powerful status because they claim to guarantee both security and self-satisfaction. As significant as these accomplishments may seem, however, we have to guard ourselves against allowing them to diminish our commitment to God and His righteousness.

Power Quote:
Submission to God’s authority provides hope, peace, and personal fulfillment.

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 1:6 – The LORD protects everyone who follows him, but the wicked follow a road that leads to ruin.

Insight from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Theologian)

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER WANTED TO see moral responsibility, unselfish concern for others, intellectual integrity, self-discipline, and personal commitment demonstrated in the Christian life. The rise of Nazism and the church’s compromise of values in order to fit into Hitler’s agenda appalled him and his family.

As the Nazi’s gained more ground in Germany, Bonhoeffer had to choose between a comfortable and politically correct church or a living relationship with the living Christ. The second choice was the only one he could conscionably make, but it meant loss of security, persecution and, potentially, death at the hands of the SS.

As the temptation to compromise increased, Bonhoeffer’s commitment deepened. He was not concerned with the criticism of his brothers and sisters; he was concerned only with the approval of his Lord. His choice of spiritual power rather than political power ultimately cost him everything. Nonetheless, he preached from the depths of his heart: “When dark hours come, and when the darkest comes upon us, then let us hear the voice of Jesus Christ, which cried in our ears–victory is won.”

Point to Ponder:
We know from Scripture that spiritual rebirth means that God has begun a new work within us, transforming us from the inside out by renewing our minds. Obedience requires us to do our best to obey Him and to cry out to God for help when the going gets rough. As in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s case, when the most difficult situation arises, our obedience will be complete because of our willingness to obey and God’s willingness to assist us.

Power Quote:
Obedience with God begins with and act of the will and is made complete by His empowerment.

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 139:12 – But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.

Insight from Helen Roseveare (Medical Missionary)

HELEN ROSEVEARE GRADUATED FROM Cambridge University with her medical degree in 1951. She was a strong-willed, self sufficient Christian woman, who had once asked God’s permission to serve Him as a medical missionary.

Her years in Africa were marked by both success and failure. Dr. Roseveare nearly single-handedly started a training hospital, and she taught the Congolese medicine. Although her desire was to spread the Christian gospel, her duties as a physician consumed her days. He strengths were also her weaknesses–she had at times antagonized her fellow missionaries with her controlling personality, impatience, and willfulness.

During the war for Independence between Congo and Belgium, she stood her ground. Eventually, she and her colleagues were captured by rebels. Dr. Roseveare was beaten and raped in the process, and she was held captive for five months. During that time, she shared the gospel with her fellow prisoners, and she comforted other women who also had been raped.

Dr. Rosevear’s career was a continuous struggle between success and failure. But God met her in her most vulnerable, powerless condition and gave her strength to carry on.

Point to Ponder:
One of the great Christian mysteries is God’s extraordinary ability to use our weaknesses to His best advantage. While the world demands personal empowerment and offers countless ways of strengthening our bodies, minds, and wills, Christ insists upon being powerful in our lives in the very areas where we are weakest. He takes our inability to love and embraces unlovable people through us. He takes our failures and uses them, through us, to teach others His best lessons to us and to others.

Power Quote:
When we declare ourselves powerless, God’s unlimited power is unleashed.

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 12:10 – When I am weak, I am strong.