A Time for Feasting

As I write this article, we are only a few days away from the 2024 presidential election. There are many people in our country who believe this is the most important election for the future of the United States. There is a sense across the political spectrum that the stakes have never been higher. This is a common feeling that many people begin to feel every four years. Every election feels more important than the last. I was reading the other day and came across this comment that really struck me. “The salvation of America and of the human race depends on the next election, if we believe the newspapers. But so it was last year, and so it was the year before, and our fathers believed the same thing forty years ago.” This comment captures the current anxiety of the upcoming election that many people in the news are feeling and fostering. We need salvation, and only one candidate can deliver. How many of you feel this way right now? This comment, cynical as it is, feels fresh and current. In reality, these words were written in October of 1848 by Ralph Waldo Emerson! That year the election was between Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. Remember how utterly crucial that election was? Me neither. But people at the time thought so. Has anything really changed? The 1848 election was 176 years ago. In 176 years from now, it will be 2200. What will those Americans think when they look back on the 2024 election? Chances are, Trump vs. Harris will seem to them what Taylor vs. Cass seems to us. I hear you scoffing, but they felt the same way in 1848 that you do today. This moment feels so big to us because we are in the middle of it. Time and distance give perspective though, and perspective gives a sense of proportion. Is this election important? It is. Are big things happening in our country? Definitely. But does “the salvation of America and of the human race depend on the next election”? No, certainly not. As Christians, we know where salvation comes from. We are the people of God, citizens of heaven, believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, heirs of the coming kingdom. We do not look to politicians and the ways of this world to establish our own kingdoms. We should love our country, work and pray for its success, be informed, and vote. But never conflate your country with God’s kingdom, your party with God’s will, or your candidate with messianic hopes. When Jesus returns, he will establish his kingdom over all nations, including this one. When that happens, democracy is over. There is no democracy in a kingdom. No more voting, no more rights and freedoms as we enjoy them now. The conservative or liberal America that you are fighting for today will not exist in the kingdom. Jesus will rule this country with a rod of iron. His word will be law. His enemies will be subdued. Everyone will bend the knee. True salvation will finally come. Christians say they want this, but do we? Do we act like it? Do we live like it? For many Christians, the answer seems to be no. But what about you? Are you ready for a King?  Peace and grace, Pastor Wesley

Rule-Keeper or a Virtue-Builder?

Prayer & Meditation

Taught and Stable

Thirty-five years ago, in April of 1989, my parents became Christians. They were in their late 20s, and I was only two years old (I turned three that December). They were led to the Lord by a team of door-to-door evangelists from a tiny local church in our hometown. After my parents were saved, that door-to-door team invited them to church and made sure they had a place to belong. Mom and dad made great friends and built relationships that have lasted to this day, all these years later. Once mom and dad found their place in the church, they had the opportunity to help others find a place. That small, country church in the tiny town of Denton, NC, felt like a genuine family. People loved each other, spent time with each other during the week, raised their families together, worshiped the Lord passionately, prayed fervently, were hungry for God’s word, shared their faith, and continued doing what they did best—being the warmest, kindest, most welcoming congregation in town. By the time I was in high school, the church had built a new facility, launched two Sunday services, and at its height reached 500 members. Not bad for a town of twelve hundred! There is no magic formula for growing a big church, and there is no guarantee that every church that does what my old home church did will see the same results. God is in charge of the growth of our church. The numbers are up to him, but obedience is up to us. Being a “one another” church like my old home church is not a magic formula; it is the normal expectation of every local church, regardless of its size. If we are the body of Christ, if we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, if we are truly members together in the family of God—then our Christian lives ought to reflect that reality outside of Sunday and outside the walls of our building. We are called to be a genuine family that cares for one another and shows up to support the church. If we all strive more and more to be a congregation that worships passionately, prays fervently, studies the Scriptures deeply, and loves each other selflessly, we will truly be the kind of church that is situated perfectly to receive the outpouring of God’s blessings. We will absolutely grow spiritually, and, God willing, we will be ripe to grow numerically as well. I will never forget one time as a teenager something the pastor of my old home church said. He and I, along with some others from the church, went to lunch at a local restaurant. As we were eating, a man came up to the table who knew someone in our group named Rick. Rick said, “Hey, I would like to introduce you to my minister. This is Charles.” Pastor Charles then said to the guy, “Hey, I would like you to meet Rick; he’s my minister.” Charles wanted the whole church to have that mindset: he was the pastor, but every member is a minister. In Ephesians 4:12, Paul teaches that every church member should be equipped to do the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ. I might be the pastor, but all of us are ministers. We are called to be a “one another” church. I challenge you to give serious thought to how you can join us in this biblical vision for the Forks. Let us walk in obedience to the Lord and watch how he blesses.  Grace and peace, Pastor Wesley

A Confession of Faith

The Season of Lent

Prophecy Turns into Story

GOD's Tender Compassion