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Join us each Saturday for our weekly gathering.
Sabbath School: 9:45 – 10:45 am
Church Service: 11:00 am
Lead Pastor Simon Liversidge 805.498.2300
I just got back from our Peru mission trip. What a great group of youth we have, and what an AMAZING group of adult support help there was as our kids worked so hard, construction all day and VBS each night. If you invested in this trip, it was a great investment. Thank you.
My wife shared with me something she gleaned from her daily devotions that I want to share with you this week. It's from Max Lucado and is about the absolute inclusion of everyone in the goodness and grace of God.
--Thankfully for us, God’s gospel includes a "whoever" policy that’s always open for business.
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 NIV, emphasis mine
Whoever unfurls 3:16 as a banner for the ages. Whoever unrolls the welcome mat of Heaven to humanity. Whoever invites the world to God.
Jesus could have so easily narrowed the scope, changing whoever into whatever
The word sledgehammers racial fences and dynamites social classes. It bypasses gender borders and surpasses ancient traditions. Whoever makes it clear: God exports His grace worldwide.
For those who attempt to restrict it, Jesus has a word: Whoever.
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge Him before my Father in Heaven. — Matthew 10:32
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. — Matthew 10:39
Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother. —Mark 3:35
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. — Mark 16:16
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. — John 3:36
Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. — John 4:14
Whoever comes to me I will never drive away. — John 6:37
Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. — John 11:26
Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. — Revelation 22:17
The downturns of life can create such a sad state of affairs that we wonder if God still wants us. But God’s "whoever" policy has a "however" benefit. Just ask Lazarus, the street sleeper with dogs licking his sores. There’s no need to clean up or climb up. Just look up. God takes you however He finds you.
This policy also features a "whenever" clause. Whenever you hear God’s voice, He welcomes your response. Sometimes we think the invitation has expired. We’ve waited too long. But just ask the last-minute vineyard workers in Jesus’ parable who were paid the same wages as the all-day workers: God offers eleventh-hour grace.
We may struggle with such a thought. A last-minute confessor receives the same grace as a lifetime servant? Doesn’t seem fair. But request grace with your dying breath, and God hears your prayer. Whoever means "whenever."
And there’s one more clause: whoever means "wherever." Wherever you are, you’re not too far to come home. Just ask the prodigal son.
We may lose sobriety, solvency, and sanity. We may lose jobs and chances, youth and vigor, idealism and dreams. But we never lose our place on God’s "whoever" list.--
Originally published at Foxnews.com. Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2022, Max Lucado.
Have a great week improving your grasp on God's grace,
Pastor Rich