Storms, Destruction, and the Unknown

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As I write this, Tropical Storm Isaac is bearing down on the Florida coast. It has been 7 years since the last hurricane made landfall in Florida. That means that many residents have no idea what to expect from a hurricane because they have never been through one. Add to this mix, the national Republican convention is meeting this year in Tampa, and that is going to be next week. Already, there are models that bring the storm right through the Tampa area, and it is predicted to arrive in the middle of that convention.

If there in one thing that most of us know who have lived on the coast, actuality rarely follows prediction. That means we cannot predict with much certainty where Isaac will make landfall, how strong it will be, or what kind of damage it will do. Uncertainty is what creates fear-filled atmosphere. I have believed since Hurricane Hugo that we should prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and let God take care of the results.

Although we may not know what tropical storms may do, there is a greater destruction that we can be sure of. Destruction is looming for anyone who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. There, I said it. I know it's not tolerant of other religions. I know that leaves out everyone who doesn't believe in God. I know that even many Christians no longer trust the words of Jesus Christ who said that many are on their way to destruction when He said very clearly:

Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. (Matthew 7:13 HCSB)

You see, when there is assured destruction, it is a good thing to go to the One who knows the answers. One Who has been there and back, and One Who has come back from the dead to tell us the truth.

My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish-ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27, 28 HCSB)

You say, "I do believe that. I was taught good theology since I first trusted Christ." To everyone of us that say that, I have to ask, do you really? It is much more likely that we have acknowledged a religious opinion with our mind, but if our actions don't bear it out, I have to ask, do we really believe? What I mean is if we really believed with our inmost being that people who don't know Jesus Christ on a "He died and rose again for me" level were going to eternal destruction, we would do everything in our power to make sure they knew Jesus came, died, and rose again to give them eternal life. Our lives would be driven by it. Our activities would be built around it. Our resources, including our money, would be used to share that life-changing message with everyone we came into contact with. And, when people called us a fanatic, we would wear that badge proudly, knowing they are hearing the message of exclusive eternal life found in Jesus Christ alone.

For most Christians, the cost is too great. It was General William Booth of the Salvation Army that shared his thoughts on why most Christians do not ever bear witness to Christ:

A young Christian once came to me, and told me that for some time she had been giving the Lord her profession and prayers and money, but now she wanted to give Him her life. She wanted to go right into the fight. In other words, she wanted to go to His assistance in the sea. As when a man from the shore, seeing another struggling in the water, takes off those outer garments that would hinder his efforts and leaps to the rescue, so will you who still linger on the bank, thinking and singing and praying about the poor perishing souls, lay aside your shame, your pride, your cares about other people's opinions, your love of ease and all the selfish loves that have kept you back for so long, and rush to the rescue of this multitude of dying men and women. Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. There is no doubt that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death. He who beckons you from the sea however, knows what it will mean - and knowing, He still calls to you and bids to you to come. You must do it! You cannot hold back.

We are told that we are responsible to advance the faith wherever we are in His world. Paul was sold out to the message of Christ, and gave his life in order to tell more people of Christ. Now, he wanted the Roman church, which was at the center of the ancient world to understand their place in God's kingdom. Now, those same words shout from the shores of safety to the sea of destruction. So, as he laid his pen down in the final verses of Romans, he is asking us to pick up the gauntlet:

Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ...according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all nations (Romans 16:25, 26 HCSB)

Do you authentically, passionately believe? Then you will tell someone.

Pastor Trey Rhodes


Make a Difference in someone's life for eternity: Kinetic Festival, October 19-21, 2012 at Oceanside Church. Click here to find out how you can be more involved and make a difference.

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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