Victory Though Death

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Once again, we are being told that fewer people believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ than ever before:

A new poll released by Rasmussen Reports says that 64% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, down from 77% just a year ago. (Poll: Americans Believing In The Resurrection Drops To 64%)

I have to ask, is it any wonder? The attacks are relentless. The rhetoric has been turned up a notch. Nearly every thing people watch on the History Channel and the like have documentaries (really, documentaries? You've got to be kidding!) that share all the reasons why Jesus could not have risen with almost no one giving an opposing opinion. And we are even being told that it doesn't matter to the Christian if Jesus rose from the dead or not as long as you just believe in Him (cue the theologians that are understudies of men like Rudolf Bultmann).

So, as we celebrate the resurrection every single Sunday, my heart is overjoyed to experience the victorious feeling of Christ rising from the dead. It is an absolute certainty that we worship and serve a living Savior! I believe because I trust the facts published and affirmed that Jesus actually rose from the dead, both historically and physically.

However, in the midst of that euphoria, we must remember that the Cross was where the victory took place. It is the resurrection that affirms that victory. You see, you can't have resurrection without a death, and you can't have death without resurrection. Without both, neither are valid.

Here's what I'm talking about. If you go to the tombs of Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammed, they are all still there. For thousands of years, archeologists and explorers have tried to find the bones of Jesus in a tomb, but there are no bones in His tomb. They are simply not there. Think about it, when they find the tomb of Jesus, which was a borrowed tomb, by the way, why would Jesus' name be on it anyway? Don't you think that it would've said Joseph of Arimathea or the like? The tomb is empty. Jesus is not there. No one, including the disciples, could've stolen His body. Think about the Romans, they couldn't have cared less. The Jewish leaders didn't want the body to be missing. And the disciples? Are you kidding me? Every single one of them gave their lives for Christ. Had they stolen the body, they would have gladly recanted and claimed it all to be fallacy. Why do they want to find Jesus' bones? Because, they know, better than most Christians, that without an empty tomb, we are miserable and "still in our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection is a house of cards that would fall, if it were possible, once the bones of Jesus were found. The empty tomb assures that our sins have really been forgiven once we each trust Jesus as our Personal Savior.

So as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, remember that the victory that took place was on the cross and was assured by the empty tomb. We can never think that it was at the cross we faced defeat and the resurrection was where we received the victory. It is the resurrection that proves that my forgiveness happened because Jesus is now risen from the dead, just as He said. And that is why Satan and his minions have attempted throughout the centuries to try and deceive people into believing the resurrection never took place.

The apostle Paul puts it all together for us in chapter 10 when he writes in verse 9

"if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation."

The resurrection and the death of Christ are permanently and completely bound together to tell us all that both are necessary for our salvation... for our forgiveness... that we might know true victory in Jesus Christ.

So my challenge to you is to glory and boast in the cross. Celebrate the resurrection because now you can know for sure that your sins can be forgiven if you will trust and ask the Father today. That's what Easter is all about.

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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Body of Death

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There is nothing more gruesome nor offensive to our human sensibilities than looking at a dead human body. Death is something that is against the natural order. We fight it. We rush to the emergency room to avoid it. We mourn when someone close to us dies. We really don't even like to think about dying, much less talk about it. Yet, death is all around us and permeates our news media, entertainment, and discussions.

Dead bodies are bad enough, but executed bodies are even worse. They remind us that sin has a wage to be paid. A capitol crime brings about a capitol punishment. It's no surprise that the Romans were particularly good at the horrors of execution. Murder brings with it the feeling of atrocity. It is built into who we are to hate that someone's life has been taken in cold blood. So, the Romans came up with a way to get revenge by use of the dead person's body. Here's how it worked in horrific detail:

The murderer was bound hand and foot, face to face, body to body and then thrown into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. As the corpse decayed, it ate death into the living man as he stared into the eyes of the decaying man who got his vengeance as the murdered body quite literally became a body of death. (Romans, John Phillips)

This vivid description is not from some twisted horror story. It is the cry of the Apostle Paul when he was living his life on the fence. He was not not a lost man, nor a spiritual man. He was living a life that is called "carnaility." He had one foot in sin, and the other knowing how he should be living:

But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. (Romans 7:23 HCSB)

Then, he got to the end of himself, couldn't keep living that way anymore, and and cried out...

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? (Romans 7:24 HCSB)

(For more on living in victorious joy...SEE "No You May Not." Excerpt: "We now know that Christ empowers us to live life joyfully and without guilt.")

That is the wretchedness of the carnal believer. Think about it, you have been there. You have mixed your allegiances as well. There have been times that you yielded parts of your body which were intended by God to be used for His kingdom and His glory, and used those incredible gifts as weapons against your Savior. It should tear you apart inside. If not, it could be that you don't have a relationship with the Savior. Today could be your day of salvation. You can know what it's like to have a relationship with Him that offers grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from such heart wrenching torment. Thanks be to Jesus who always gives us victory! (Romans 7:25)

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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The Problem with Guilty Pleasures

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I have seen it and heard it over and over again, "This book is my guilty pleasure for the month" or "That movie was my guilty pleasure for the week." I think that there isn't a single person who has not admitted to a guilty pleasure or two. But, when it comes to sin, believers cannot afford to entertain one single thing that would cost them their walk with Christ.

Sin is costly and almost always uncontrollable. It would be like trying to hold a live electric wire while standing in a puddle of water. You might be okay, but you probably won't be. But, even if you don't get electrocuted, how foolish can you possibly be? Truth be told, person aftter person will tell you how dangerous it was to dabble in sin. They had no idea it would send a type of "220 volt electricity" searing through them. At least as deadly to the soul as it would be to the body.

The problem is that sin is not something we can dabble in. We were not created that way. For everyone who gets away without being affected, there are many more who succumb to its allure. Sin hooks and keeps you. Why? Its because of a chemical in our brains called "dopamine." Because of that, in order for us to get the same feeling we got the first time, it will take another step farther down the path to enslavement. You must go farther and indulge more to get the same impact. Sin is that way. It only gives that much pleasure the first time. From then on, the slavery begins to take hold as more and more is needed to bring pleasure.

Forbes magazine helps us understand why this happens; it's called a "diminishing return":

A diminishing return is when a large quantity of something is not proportionately satisfying as a small quantity. For example, eating a single piece of cake is satisfying; eating ten slices of cake is not ten times as satisfying. Each subsequent slice will be less satisfying than the last.

That is how we were built, to crave more and more while all the while getting less and less satisfaction. That is probably a function of the fallen, sinful nature we all succumb to.

In the Bible, Romans 6 deals with not only a lifestyle of sin, but also the desire we have to occasionally fall back into sin. The question is not, "Do we?" It is, "Should we?" That is why the Spirit of God inspired Paul to write this soul-searching question:

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? (Romans 6:15a HCSB)

So, should we? Here's our answer:

Absolutely not! (Romans 6:15b HCSB)

Why? Here's where the Bible understands more about the human condition than the most recent of magazine articles. It tells us about diminishing returns and what happens to us as a result:

Don't you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey-either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Romans 6:16 HCSB)

We crave what we partake in. We become slaves of whatever we gives ourselves to. That is why even guilty pleasures, no matter how trivial they may seem at the time, must never include sin. Sin brings with it enslavement. As followers of Christ, there is only one course of action, submission to Someone who loves and cares for us more than anyone else could, the Lord Jesus. He has given us new life to do His will and live for Him. By following Him, we become more of what we were intended to be and less in need of any guilty pleasures.

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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No You May Not

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Jerry Sandusky is guilty. After listening to the morning talking heads, it seems that there is little if any hope that he will ever get out of prison. He was convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse. Now the focus will be shifting back to Penn State's culpability in the whole situation. We still don't know the impact upon the legacy of Penn State as well as Joe Paterno's mystique.

Thoughts on Joe Paterno's Legacy

Weirdly enough, in January, in the middle of all the legal wrangling, Sandusky asked permission for visitiation rights for his grandchildren while he was under house arrest. He felt is was unfair for his grandchildren not to have their grandfather around as he was waiting for his trial for 48 counts of child sex abuse charges. I have no idea if the parents of his grandchildren were willing to give permission for him to visit with grandpa. I just know the judge was okay with it.

Regardless of what the judge decided, as a parent, if I was asked permission for a grandfather who has been accused of sex abuse of children...did you get that? ...children...sexually abused. This is as dangerous to these children as a Moon Pie would be at a Fat Farm. It's playing with fire. My answer would be "NO, YOU MAY NOT!"

In our Christian walk, we are also playing with fire. We think we can give ourselves permission to sin. Think of it this way, Sin comes to us and demands the right to run our life. Many times we answer with a question, "Do I have choice?" The truth is you do not. Here's the Truth: sin is no longer your master, and you never have to allow it access to your life ever again. Your only choice is to refuse sin access. That is the what the Bible lets us know with this exhortation:

Sin shall not be your master. Romans 6:14

So, here is how we can and should live as Christians, not in misery, but in joy. Sin delights in making us miserable. God never intended for our Christian life to be like that. This is why Jesus entered human history. Not only to free us from the guilt of sin by forgiving us, but also to deliver is from the power of sin by sanctifying us (the process of making us holy). When it comes to our salvation, there can be no distinction between forgiving us and making us holy. It is all a result of what happens the moment we ask Christ Jesus to be our Forgiver (Savior) and Leader (Lord).

Why then do so many Christians continue to be ruled by sin? They have not been given the information they need to live an overcoming life. It is Satan's greatest weapon against believers...just keep them in the dark.

That is no longer the case. We now know that Christ empowers us to live life joyfully and without guilt. Knowledge can be your quantum leap in weapon technology when it comes to defeating sin and living as God intended. That is why the next time sin comes to you with temptation and asks, "May I?" All you need answer is, "NO, YOU MAY NOT!"

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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Hope for Sinners (Like Me)

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I will never forget the day I asked Christ to forgive me of my sin. When I was in eighth grade at Porter-Gaud School, I saw billboards all around Charleston advertising an upcoming event. Usually, the billboards I noticed were for the circus or a rodeo. This time, though, it was for a meeting being led by someone known as the chaplain of Bourbon Street. Later, I would come to know him as Bob Harrington. I begged my mom to take me to see him. for some reason, I was strangely drawn to the idea of listening to him preach. It's not because I liked church, I did not. I couldn't stand preaching. I used to count the lights in the chandeliers and pray for church to be finished as soon as possible.

I don't know why I hated church. I think I must have hated the idea of being inside when there were mini-bikes to ride, lawn tractors to drive, and waves to catch. There was so much more to life than wasting my time listening to a man tell me how awful a person I was, I knew that already. I knew I had sin problems. I had gotten into enough trouble at school, and I had been punished for it. I deserved what I got.

I seemed to get into more trouble than most of my friends. I'm sure to my teachers, I was "that" child. They certainly would have discussed my potential in the teacher's lounge and in staff meetings. They surely would have said that I could be so much better if I would behave, quit talking out of turn, and just apply myself.

Little did they know who I was inside. It wasn't simply a discipline problem. I certainly wasn't reared in an uncaring or abusive home, but I did have a problem. I wanted things my way. I hurt people, physically and emotionally. I cursed like a drunken sailor. I freely admitted that I hated my brother. I obeyed my parents and other adults in authority when they were looking...but when their backs were turned, I was another boy. I worshiped dirt bikes and motorcycles in general. I longed to be even worse...if I thought I could get away with it. Yup, that's who I was.

So, to me it was of utmost importance that I got to hear this man that seemed to have the ear of God when it came to getting my sins forgiven. Still, I knew there was no hope for me. I had sinned waaaaaay too much. I had even admitted to hating my brother. My grandparents were greatly concerned with my hatred for him, so they reminded me as a warning that those who hated could not go to heaven. They quoted to me book, chapter, and verse:

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. (1 John 3:14 HCSB)

So, I knew there was no hope for an unloving, brother-hating sinner like me. But, maybe, just maybe, there could be some way out of my eternal destiny. Maybe I could at least find myself in the coolest section of hell. Maybe... but, wouldn't that be too good to be true?

So, I went to hear Bob Harrington with a huge burden of sin on my back. Even though I was only 13 years old, I thought I had more sin piled up than most. As I took my seat in the balcony of the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium on that early spring night in Charleston, SC, I noticed there was an excitement in the air. I was already experiencing something I had never been a part of before... authentic church. People voices were buzzing, the music was exciting, and I was actually glad to be there.

I really don't remember much about that sermon. I couldn't even tell you what book of the Bible it was preached from, but I do remember these words at the end of the message, "If anyone of you would like to ask Christ into your life and have your sins forgiven..." That's all I needed to hear. "If anyone of you..." "Wait," I thought "Were there more people that needed their sins forgiven?" I actually thought that the preacher was speaking directly to me. Then, my mind drifted back to that verse my grandparents had shared with me...and once again I reminded myself... there was no hope... I was a hater. Haters don't get to be with God in heaven. Then, in what turned out to be a moment of clarity, I turned to my mom and asked if she wanted what he was talking about...forgiveness. She let me know that I could go forward if that's what I wanted to do. "Wait," I said to myself. "let me see, I'm supposed to go down front?" Well,if that's all it took, I was on my way. I jumped out of seat and made my way to the counselors as fast as I could. If forgiveness was available, I wanted it... and I wanted it right now!

The time it took me to walk down the aisle seemed to be only moments. Soon, I was at the front of the huge auditorium and was speaking with a lady who asked what I came forward for. I told her that I wanted what that man was talking about...forgiveness. She then escorted me backstage to what I now know as a counseling room where many others who had walked that same aisle that night were already. She helped me read through many Scriptures from the book of Romans. I then asked Christ to forgive me of my sin. In that moment in time, He did just that. My sin was forgiven. As much as I knew before that my sin had condemned me, I now knew that same sin had been forgiven. My sin that had weighed me down, had been lifted. Darkness was driven out by His light. Sin was displaced by His righteousness. Through faith, I knew that not only could my sins be forgiven, but they were forgiven.

What happened? I had experienced Romans 3:21-22 in my life:

But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed -attested by the Law and the Prophets -that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe (Romans 3:21, 22 HCSB)

I would never have been able to be good enough or do enough good works to ever get into heaven. That's because God could not allow one sin into His presence. Jesus Christ had paid my time through His death on the cross and His resurrection from a cold dark tomb three days later. I believed now, He did it FOR ME. My faith in Christ's work brought me forgiveness.

The hope that I could to be forgiven of my sin was never going to be found in me. That kind of hope is only found in Jesus. Through Him, my sin had met its match.

Have you trusted Him to forgive you? God brought you to this point and is asking you to make that choice right now. He may not come this way again. There is hope for you. Believe Jesus gave His life for you. Do it now before you do one other thing. It will be your greatest choice... It will be your greatest day... It will lift your heavy burden... You will never be the same...

Pastor Trey Rhodes

More of the Core of our beliefs from Romans this week. Don't miss one exciting week! Also, ask for your very own notebook when you get to Oceanside Church.

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Decadence Is in the Chocolate?

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Sin is one of those issues that gets everybody in the hot seat. Whether we speak against sin, talk about it, or even sin ourselves, we face it every day. What I see is that people have taken on the job of trying to make sin not nearly as wrong as it once was. We try our hardest to believe that sin is not so bad. That's because we know that God's boundaries would make it so that "sin might become utterly sinful" Romans 7:13, NIV). So we deal with it by speaking of sin in at least 2 ways:

1. the "that's not so bad" way of thinking - That's when way we change our vocabulary and actions to reflect the current socially acceptable morals of society. for instance, we no longer deceive, we tell white lies. We don't commit fornication, we "hook-up." We don't commit adultery, we have an "affair." We don't steal, we help ourselves. And we don't get drunk, we're just a little tipsy. Every one of those ways of saying things reflects the changing attitudes in our society that helps us deal with the tinges of guilt we can face with our ongoing sinful lifestyles.

2. the "delicious made decadent" description - That's when we take something like a piece of cake, and make it taste really good. When we describe it, we say it is "decadent" or "sinful" or "heathen." When we do that it can belittle the intended use of the word, making sin not seem as bad. Having an "affair" is no different than having delicious piece of cake. Both are decadent, right?

To understand decadence, we need go no farther than the lifestyles of the First Century Romans. Their lives have been shown to be people that thought little of family commitment, less of human life, and indulged illicit sexual appetites on a regular basis (Ever heard of Caligula or Nero?) Believe it or not, even large portions of the worship of their gods was built around the cults of Venus and her sacred prostitutes. But, we can't stop there, mankind has always been guilty of sinful lifestyles and debased living. From the excesses of the royal French houses to the "Pornacracy" of the medieval church, we have seen sin rear its ugly head over and over again. I think we can all agree, we have all seen enough sin to understand the difference between a good piece of cake and a lecherous sexual appetite.

But, the question is not how we look at sin, but how God looks at it. When God sees sin, it is an absolute. It is not eating a good piece of cake, but it is getting drunk. It is not "hooking up;" it is fornication. God has moral absolutes. He has standards that He expects us to adhere to. He has defined right and wrong for us without any misgivings. Here's a few:

• unrighteousness (This is not being perfect)
  
• evil
  
• greed
• envy
• murder
• quarrels
• deceit
• gossips
• slanderers
• God-haters
• arrogant
• proud
• boastful
• inventors of evil
• disobedient to parents
• untrustworthy
• unloving (For more SEE Romans 1:29-31 HCSB)

And I'm just naming a few. God knows exactly what sin is and what it is not. He is perfect and cannot sin. The boudaries for life are well-defined. And when it comes down to it, our whining will ring hollow that we didn't really know what God expected, nor will the excuse, "no one's perfect" stand God's scrutiny. God expects perfection. He cannot allow sin in His presence.

We are even told what we already knew:

Although they know full well God's just sentence-that those who practice such things deserve to die-they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them. (Romans 1:32 HCSB)

So it begs the question, is there hope for me? With sin, there is no hope. But, suppose for a moment that there was a way for to God forgive sin, your sin. Wouldn't you like to know?

You can know. God wants you to.

Pastor Trey Rhodes

 

Battlefield Instructions for Men, Pt. 2

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WW II GI's Surrounded by the Fog of War

We live in a world where spiritually and morally, these same disorienting type things continue to demand our attention. We can be swayed easily, go the wrong direction, and do what we never thought we would do. That is why battlefield instructions are so important. That is why we must have a plan before we take that first step onto the battlefield we call life. Choosing to be a one woman man will radically transform your life. That kind of life begins with our eyes and moves to every part of our body. It's why the Bible exhorts us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (See Romans 12:1). Because our eyes begin the process, make sure you read Part 1 of this blog to get the clear ("crystal, sir!") instructions for a man's battle for purity.

3 additional ways we prepare for battle:

Choose to be faithful with your lips - A man committed to his wife is no flirt. He doesn't play junior high games with other women. He doesn't kid roundabout being interested in someone else. He doesn't make jokes about getting together with other women. Such jesting comes under the umbrella of having a few harmless laughs. But some things are off-limits...marriage is one of them. Marriage is sacred and holy. It's should never be reduced to a joke at your wife's expense or to the detriment of that relationship.

Choose to be faithful with your hands - Remember when you were a child and your mother used to say keep your hands to yourself? I remember, it was usually after I had whopped or irritated my brother. Keep your hands to yourself is a great piece of advice if you want to be ready for battle. It's like preventative maintenance. It keeps you prepared to fight the war. Be careful how you touch the opposite sex. Why be careful? Because you're committed to one woman. And that is Semper Fidelis...being always faithful.

It would do us all well to look at 1 Corinthians 7 together:

Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:1, 2 NASB)

There's nothing wrong with a hug. Many times it comes from the purest of motives. But next time you think about hugging a woman, and you're not sure about your motives, then don't. So if you want to hug somebody, the best thing to do is go find your wife.

Choose to be committed with your feet - 1 Corinthians 6:18 says it flat out: "flee from sexual immorality." That's how a man prepared to battle for puriity deals with movies, magazines, videos, internet, or any situation he finds himself in that is counterproductive to marriage commitment. He flees.

The problem is is that most men who flee temptation usually leave a forwarding address.… That won't cut it if you're going to win this battle. A one-woman man doesn't hang around to check out a pornographic magazine for its "artistic value." He doesn't hesitate to walk out of a movie that violates his value system. He takes the lead in turning off the TV or the DVD or the computer or the smart phone or the iPad when it's inappropriate. That's what it means to flee. Feet to demonstrate your commitment.

Let me finish with these words of insight that should help you understand why our eyes, minds, lips, hands, and feet are so important to winning.

If we are going to protect ourselves from the epidemic of adultery, we must understand the process that leads to adultery. David sinned with his eyes, his mind, his lips, and his hands before he ever hit the sheets with Bathsheeba. David had already lost the battle before that moment of pleasure. Adultery did not begin with physical contact. That horrible, destructive act began with a glance that turned into a gaze that became an obsession and finally an act of willful disobdience (Read more in 2 Samuel 11). It was an act that nearly destroyed all the good David had done for the kingdom.

You see, adultery does not begin with the act, it begins with the mind. And the Man begins with his commitment to his wife each day will be a man of holiness and a lethal weapon in the hands of God.

This presentation is from puritycoalition.org. God, give us clean hands, give us pure hearts!



There is hope and we can win!

Pastor Trey Rhodes


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Sin Is not a Secret Service

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In a theological sense, we define sin as missing the mark or a trespass against God's law. However, when it comes popular opinion, defining sin can be as difficult as nailing jello to a wall. What was sin yesterday, is okay today. And in many ways, is even dependent on your family's background, where you grew up, or how you vote. All that means that sin is hard to define as a member of society. The truth be told, we all want a little wiggle room and, when it comes to our own sin, forgiveness and understanding from others. We often are willing to pay for that service from others with our time, our penance, yes, and even money. So, we actually prostitute our sin. We pay someone to feel good.

I'm sure our president is bowing his head in shame over the
alleged Secret Service wrongdoing.

When it comes to the "sin de jour," our nation is now dealing with embarrassment and downright humiliation of prostitution among the top echelon of the Secret Service and Army attaché of the President of the United States. I'm sure they felt as if they were above rules and, at the very least, could cover it up. But, regardless of what Las Vegas tells us, sinning in Sin City does not stay does not stay in Sin City (see this article for more New Sin City). Sin is like a cockroach, it will stay hidden for a while, but it will run out of its hiding place into view for many to see.

Facebook isn't even a fraction of the problem...God knows.

Yikes, dem's scary words, ain't they? Now, that might not be perfect English, but the sentiment is well understood. What if every secret thing we ever did was published for our family, our friends, our spouses, our children...the whole world to know? That would be bad news...for everyone of us. But, there is good news. The good news is the remedy. The good news is it includes you. The good news is, well, good news. We don't have to pay the penalty for our sin if we'll do this one thing. Without it, there is no hope. All will be revealed.

Pastor Trey Rhodes
For Part 2, Consequences Covered, Click Here

It Will Destroy You

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There is nothing that resonates more loudly with people than their own destruction. We care if someone or something is trying to destroy us. But think about it, there is something very lethal that tries at every opportunity to destroy us...that something is sin. God teaches that He wants us to give up that kind of lifestyle and be constructive and not destructive. We find that out in Colossians 1:20-23.

1. Remember who you were before Christ (Col. 1:21)
We must never forget what we were like before salvation and what God delivered me out of. I was a lying, thieving, blaspheming hypocrite before God changed me. It hurts to remember what I was, but it keeps me thankful and positive about where I am now.

2. Forget about the destructive life you lived (Col. 1:20, 22)
Sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. The biggest advantage to being saved out of a sin filled life is that you can remember what it was like without Christ and you are thnakful. The biggest disadvantage is that you can remember what it was like without Christ, and you might be drawn into your old way of doing things. This is what you forget.
Here's the truth, now that we know Christ as our forgiver and leader, we are now holy, faultless, and blameless. That is why we cannot dwell on who we were and what we did before Christ. We are changed. We are not the people we used to be.
I just heard a Bible teacher say, "You are not what you have done, you are who God says you are." You will be told that you have to because that's just the kind of person you are. They are half right. You do what you do because you are that kind of person, but now that Christ rules and reigns in your life, you are a  different person. That person, you, live differently because you are a different person and don't let anyone tell you any different.

3.  Construct a new kind of life beginning now (Colossians 1:23)
The hope that is written about in v. 23 is our eternal state. We call that Heaven, but it is so much more. The truth is that our eternal life begins the moment we ask Christ to forgive us and we follow Him. Our eternal life begins after salvation, not after death.
Begin constructing your eternal lifestyle through your relationship with Christ right now. It's not just about the sweet by and by, but also the abundant here and now.

I posted to FaceBook this past Friday: 
 Looking forward to eternal life helps us live the abundant life now.
Jesus "has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him— if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith (heavenly living here on earth), and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel  (heaven) that you heard. Col 1:22-23 (HCSB)
We live our lives in the hope that we will be delivered from destruction. The more we allow the Eternal One to live through us, the more abundant living we enjoy here and the less we want anything that would be destrucitve to us. Sin becomes abhorrent because we understand all that it can do to us as we strive for kingdom living so that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Hmmmm... makes me think, don't I want more Heaven on earth? Whey do I persist in holding on to the things that keep me from that lifestyle?
Build what matters beginning right now.

Thinkin' 'bout Oceanside

I have had some questions as to why we are no longer meeting at Whitesides Elementary. I wanted to do that by first giving you a short history lesson of our church and then what is going on now.

A Short History of Oceanside Church
We began Oceanside Church on September 8th, 2002 in what is now the Cinebar Movie Theater here in Mount Pleasant. After worshipping there every Sunday, we began to look for a more permanent place to call home. We found and settled on a former medical billing facility at the Bowman Business Park at 1135 Bowman Rd. Suite 749-B.
Just as we were preparing to move in, I suffered a dissected aorta. The people of Oceanside, with the help of many friends, renovated and moved in. We stayed there for the next six years. Once again, we felt like the Lord was moving us. Soon, we found a house to move into, 1728 Rifle Range Road. We secured a long term lease with an option to buy with the owner of the property. We thought we were ready to go!
Some of our largest days as a church happened at 1728 Rifle Range Road as we began to raise money and then build on the property. Our intent was to have two worship services until we could build a 3200 square foot worship center. Our intent was to be in two services for four to six months. We ran into several snags and then found out that the landlord was not amenable to us staying on any longer than five years rather that the twenty years we thought we would have. We felt that this made it unwise to spend that kind of money and then have to move only a couple of years later.
Oceanside began to toss around the idea of doing a huge re-launch at Whitesides Elementary School. Many things had to take place for that to happen, and they all did. We began to worship at Whitesides school on February 21, 2011. That first Sunday we had 87 in attendance and believed that we were on our way. Although our average attendance was higher than it had been, it did not get to the levels we thought it would. With summer approaching and the possibility of lower numbers and giving, we began to look into other possibilities that would cost less, but offer more room than our small facility on Rifle Range. We looked right next door at the offices of the Mount Pleasant Waterworks. They have a 3000 square foot public meeting room that would only cost $55 a week rather than $330 a week. It would be a great option for the rest of the summer as we continue to look forward to God growing the church.

Let's claim this promise together as we watch our Lord do great things at Oceanside:
Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

For the kingdom and God's glory,
Pastor Trey Rhodes