Ararat Church

A Call for Repentance
Day 17: Forgive me Lord for jumping to conclusions about other people.

“Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:4, 10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our ability to learn from our experience is a gift to us. Indeed, if when presented with a new situation, we had to start from a position of total ignorance as to how things work, we would get little accomplished.

Yes, the ability to apply knowledge gained in one circumstance, to another circumstance, gives us a running start. Otherwise we would be relegated to the hard slog of constantly reinventing the wheel, before even getting started on the task at hand. After all, even the most menial operations are informed and expedited by our accumulated knowledge base.

However, sometimes the conclusions we form, being tainted with conceptions that were either false to begin with, or not applicable to this situation, prove to be incorrect.

This is how we may easily jump to a wrong conclusion: We see a behavior in someone that has been associated with a certain motivation in the past in someone else, and now assume this person shares the same motivation as other people who exhibited that behavior. And how wrong we can be in doing so!

Let me tell you a little story.

There is a person who regularly checks us out at the grocery store. Now, I always try to reach out to a service person rather than treating them as a part of the fixtures. But I noticed that—repeatedly—this person seemed to be very grumpy, so I assumed that the person must not like me.

Recently, I tried one more time to reach out to this person, asking if they had to work much longer that day. They answered my question, then said, “These two jobs are killing me!” As the person shared further with me, I learned that they are basically working two full-time jobs, made even harder by having some physical challenges. They are just dog tired. Their behavior NEVER had ANYTHING to do with me.

You see, we generally do our grocery shopping late in the day. By that time, this person has already worked a full-time job and now has come to work this job. Now, I never treated this person badly. I never showed a bad attitude. But I felt ashamed for what I had felt in my heart.

Sadly, this wasn’t the first time I jumped to that sort of very wrong conclusion. You see, I have had some people who did intensely dislike me who showed the same behavior this person did. They weren’t just tired; they were tired of me, proving the same by further hostile actions. But this grumpy person was simply tired.

Friend, we must not allow prejudices formed from our life experiences, cause us to mislabel people, or their motivations.

Jumping to conclusions about other people is not pleasing to the Lord. And God forbid that we would allow our prejudgments to keep us from reaching out to others in the Name of the Lord.

Let’s ask the Lord to forgive us for having a hair trigger in terms of our estimations of other people and/or their motivations.

Additionally, let’s listen more closely to the Holy Spirit of God Who can reveal to us the things we need to know.

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

A Call for Repentance
Day 16: Forgive me Lord for doubting You.

““How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:21-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What do you think when you read Jesus’ words, “Anything is possible if a person believes”? Does your mind immediately try to present “evidence” that this is certainly not true concerning you?

Now, God works through our faith. But this faith is not some nebulous quality directed towards some particular desire or need. The faith, the believing, Jesus is referencing in our opening scripture, is faith in Him, believing in Him.

Faith is believing that God is Who He said He is and that He will do what He said He would do.

Sometimes we don’t receive what we had in mind, or we don’t receive it the way we had in mind. However, believing in the Lord comes along with the understanding that He is good, ultimately doing what is best for us, in the way that is best for us. But make no mistake, failure to believe in Him, will never bring what we need and/or want.

We know that Jesus did not do many mighty works in His own hometown because of their unbelief.

“Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Child of God, let’s quit making excuses for our unbelief. Let’s repent of our unbelief. Then let’s do what the man did in our opening scripture: Let’s ask the Lord to help us to overcome our unbelief. Only then will we see great and mighty miracles.

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

God is Faithful!

Ararat Church Ararat Church is an interdenominational, multi-ethnic, full-gospel christian church.

Please make plans to join us as we celebrate the goodness of God over Ararat Church’s first five years! (Our celebratory meal is covered dish.)

A Call for Repentance
Day 15: Forgive me Lord for growing weary in well doing.

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:7-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Years ago the Lord gave me a prophetic word in which He warned that a spirit of weariness, even malaise, would soon come over His people like a blanket. Sadly, I have been seeing this come to pass over the last several years.

Face it, we are constantly being bombarded with one calamity after another. While at the same time, the spirit of deception and wooing from the world system has ratcheted up to never before seen levels.

We are faced with overwhelming levels of hopelessness and despair matched only by the full court press of the enemy to get our eyes—and hearts—set on the things of this world.

The confluence of a flood of crises, with a flood of debauchery, has produced the tsunami of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair we are seeing. Therefore, many Christians seem to be settling in to “going through the motions” in terms of their relationship with the Lord.

Remember, one of the signs of the Last Days is that “because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Let us ask the Lord to forgive us for getting our eyes off of Him and allowing ourselves to become weary in well-doing.

Friend, we may do a lot of things in a halfhearted manner. God forbid that one of those things is our service for the Lord.

Remember, God is faithful. For those who continue to look for and hasten His coming, He will provide an endless flow of supernatural strength and energy!

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

At the Table will be Posted Tonight at 9PM, God willing and we live.

A Call for Repentance
Day 14: Forgive me Lord for resenting the prosperity of the wicked.

“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:1-5, 16-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s face it, at one time or another, we all grapple with what seems to be unfair results, consequences, or reward. You may look at people who seem to be arrogant, haughty, and yes, evil, and yet they seem to prosper, while you struggle.

First of all, we have to face the fact that anything we have allowed to move us away from our peace in God through Jesus Christ, has been made an idol, or greater than God. That having been said, the oh-so-human-reaction of resentment for the prosperity of the wicked, is only looking at a “slice” in time. In that one small slice, in that moment of our own struggle, it looks like the wicked have the upper hand.

The fact is, we are living an eternal existence. Additionally, God is a just Judge. Therefore, we know that He will even up all the “scores.”

Malachi tells of a time when the Lord reproved the children of Israel for saying terrible things about Him. When they questioned as to when they spoke terrible things about Him, the Lord responded that they had accused Him of being unjust by allowing evil people to do well while they suffered.

““You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’””
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Then the Lord shared a truth, a truth we must all remember, lest we become discouraged.

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.””
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Lord reminded them that when all has been said and done, those who have spoken faith, even in the midst of struggle, even in the midst of things they don’t understand, will be richly rewarded.

Child of God, our goal has to be to keep our eyes on the Lord, doing what He has spoken. We MUST leave what other people—good or evil—receive, or how it seems their lives are going, to the judgment of God.

Let us repent for our accusations, whether manifested in word, thought, or deed, questioning the goodness of God. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to purge our minds and hearts of all resentment regarding what seems to be “unfair.”Let us focus on the abundant grace, mercy, and kindness, we have already received through Jesus Christ. And let us look with hopeful expectation to the One Who will give to everyone according to their works.

““Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

A Call for Repentance
Day 13: Forgive me Lord for trying to take your place.

““But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Anybody with any level of understanding would certainly recognize the insanity of trying to make ourselves equal with God. His knowledge is so incalculably beyond human understanding, that any attempt at a one-to-one comparison, makes comparing the grandeur of a crib mobile, to that of our actual solar system, seem reasonable.

Paul rightly attests to the nonsensical nature of even trying to make that comparison:

“But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Indeed, God’s great power renders us unworthy of even being called “foolish” in comparison to Him.

Yet, we may be inadvertently doing the very thing we would label as absurd, if spoken as plainly as I have above. You see, we are often guilty of second-guessing God and/or trying to do the work that only He can/will do.

Think of it: We try to interject ourselves into conflicts to bring peace where people really don’t want peace, or, where the lack of peace is symptomatic of an unaddressed spiritual problem.

We may try to make things right for someone who has rejected the Lord God Himself and their difficulty is their only hope of being arrested in their slide toward destruction.

We may even try to provide answers concerning a situation about which we really have no clue. Face it, we don’t even know what we don’t know.

The conclusion of the matter is: God alone is God. We must repent before Him for—in any way—“usurping” His authority. And make no mistake, having well-meaning motives does not excuse our interjecting where we ought not. At best, it’s a waste of time, and may actually be harmful. At worst, it is offensive to the Lord.

Certainly, we should want to make peace; we should want to help make things right. But, we definitely need to seek the Lord as to where the line is between our responsibility and those things that belong only to God. I truly believe we will have more personal peace if we do so; and I know this will be pleasing to He Who IS God alone.

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

Forty-four years ago today our own Pastor Nathan was born! Five years ago today Ararat Church had its first service! These two are inextricably connected. Pastor Nathan, it was no mistake that the first service of Ararat Church was on your Birthday. Your courage started the process toward Ararat Church becoming a reality. We love you and appreciate your zeal for the work of the Lord. Happy Birthday, Pastor Nathan!

A Call for Repentance
Day 12: Forgive me Lord for being oblivious to Your glorious plan for me.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭8:3-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You’ve probably heard the reference about some people being “glass half empty,” versus other people being “glass half full” people. Indeed, it is easy to become complaint-focused, as those things not going as we would like in our lives, seem to shout out over the quiet voice of our blessings. Child of God, it ought not be so.

One particularly egregious way the disgruntled persuasion manifests in us, is in the focusing on what the Christian walk “costs,” as opposed to the blessings found therein.

“Oh,” some people say, “why must I give this or that up?” “What great sacrifices I am making to be separate from the world system.” Etc. This tunnel vision on what we can’t do/have because of our identification with Christ, reveals a total ignorance of the plan of God for us.

If we look at our lives without viewing them through the context of God‘s plan for man, we may miss the whole point of our being and make our own comfort our goal.

Far from the notion that “God just wants me to be happy,” is the real truth: God wants us to be holy and be who He made us to be, a goal only realized through a true relationship with Him.

God has made every effort to lead us back to Himself. He took on flesh and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He showed us that He is our Father and made a way for us to live in His house forever! Not only that, He made a way for us to rule and reign with Him.

It’s no wonder that our opening scripture finds David speaking as one enraptured by the goodness of God towards us!

Think of it: The Creator of our glorious creation, has also created us in His very image. He has wonderful plans for us that He refused to allow even our sin to interrupt!

Let’s repent for allowing our hardships to cause us to be oblivious to God’s glorious, majestic plan for us. As well, let’s make every effort to live our lives within the context of that knowledge.

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

Ararat Church extends congratulations to Giles and Cherita Neal on 33 years of marriage! God is faithful! Happy Anniversary! We love you!

A Call for Repentance
Day 11: Forgive me Lord for “stressing out.”

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s face it, daily life has great potential for stress; it’s the nature of the beast. However, if we remember that our Heavenly Father knows our needs, cares about our needs, and can definitely control what we cannot control, then we can face our challenges knowing that we are not alone in them. In fact, the Creator of all things is enabling us to do what we must, as well as doing for us what we can’t do.

To access His daily strength, we must take the advice offered in our opening scripture. We must be proactive in terms of our prayer life. We must take our concerns to the Lord in an attitude of thankfulness and allow Him to calm the troubled waters of our soul.

Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Whereas as much of the population was relocated, there were those left in the rubble of the formerly great Jerusalem. Out of that suffering came the songs of lament we find in the book of Lamentations, generally credited to the prophet, Jeremiah.

When thinking of the devastation of his current situation, Jeremiah found hope by remembering the faithfulness of God. Not only that, each new day offers a chance for a do over!

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Child of God, let’s ask the Lord to forgive us for stressing out; and let’s replace that stressing out, with pouring out before the Lord. After all, He hasn’t stopped making a way where there is no way; and, HE NEVER WILL!

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

A Call for Repentance
Day 10: Forgive me Lord for not praying and repenting for my country as I ought.

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After Solomon had finished the temple and the palace he had planned to build, the Lord appeared to him saying that He would accept sacrifices in that temple. However, along with telling Solomon of His approval concerning his work, the Lord indicated that there would be times that they would be punished because of their evil ways.

“Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In our opening scripture the Lord gave the prescription for what the people needed to do when they saw that their country was being punished because of sin.

As the Lord continued speaking to Solomon He also said what would happen if he or his descendants turned away from the Lord and did not repent.

““But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ “And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why he has brought all these disasters on them.’””
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

With this in mind, is it any surprise to you that the United States has been experiencing seasons of trouble, chaos, and unrest?

Is it any wonder that the symbol of our economic preeminence in the world (the World Trade Center) was reduced to mountains of rubble by a terrorist attack in 2001?

Were you aware that the bridge in Baltimore that was destroyed in the wee hours of March 26 of this year, was named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the poem from which our “Star-Spangled Banner” was written?

The United States, though experiencing these, along with many other warnings (e.g., being part of a global pandemic, racial unrest and a questionable election, all happening in 2020), continues on a slide toward darkness.

Of course, it would be easy to have a sense of helplessness or hopelessness concerning the future of our country.

Additionally, that sense of despair can be augmented by the fact that we are operating, to a great extent, in denial concerning what is actually going on.

Friend, our country is in trouble! We have fallen far from our source of life and peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. The absolute only hope we have is to throw ourselves on the mercy of our God and King. Who knows but what He will yet one more time delay further destruction. And even if it be too late for that, we can be sure He will show mercy to the penitent souls.

“Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. He said to him, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.” Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity!”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

A Call for Repentance
Day 9: Forgive me Lord for not hearing You knock at the door of my heart.

““Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes we think of Jesus knocking at the door of our heart as only applying to receiving Him as Savior and Lord of our lives. But the fact is, our opening scripture gives the words of Jesus to a church!

““Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, Jesus is knocking on the door of the hearts of the people of the Laodicean church. They had apparently fallen from their steadfastness and had became too mixed with the world to be distinguishable from it.

Additionally, this message was not just for the Laodicean church, but for all the churches, as we see in what Jesus went on to say:

“Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In order to maintain an ongoing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we must continue to listen for His knock.

Perhaps there are times when we’ve looked away from Him, as did the church at Laodicea. Yes, times when we fall into error, or maybe become “too busy” to seek Him. At these times the Lord will—through His Holy Spirit—knock on the door of our hearts. But make no mistake, He doesn’t stand there pounding and screaming and making a scene. His is a gentle voice, that failing to hear, can lead to great calamity and trouble that will get our attention.

Let us take time each day to make sure that we are listening closely enough to His spirit that we will know if He has somehow been closed out of some area, some decision, or some aspect of our life! Failing to do so can have calamitous results.

Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!