October 2012 Pastor's Desktop Article

“So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 KJV) Paul, in his letter to the Romans, was instructing them on how it is that we can have the righteousness that comes through faith. Being a Jew himself, Paul knew the mindset of the Jews of his day, and that many were seeking to have righteousness that came through their own efforts in trying to keep the law. Through Paul’s Damascus road experience when Christ came to him in blinding light, the light finally dawned on his heart and he heard the Word of Christ speaking to him. He found out that Christ had fully paid the penalty that Paul was still trying to pay on his own. We all have to come to that same realization. Our good works, no matter how many nor how good can never wipe away the sin that is ours. Only the blood of a perfect person, someone without their own sin to atone for, could pay the price for the sins of another. In the case of Christ, “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” He has been able to pay the price for all our sin. (Heb. 4:15b) Faith for Paul came by hearing Christ’s voice on that Damascus road showing him that the way he was going was not going to get him where he thought he was going. He thought he was pleasing God by persecuting those who were of the faith. Now, as he writes this letter to the Romans, his desire, as indicated in Rom. 10:1 was that the Israelites would be saved. They need to hear the glorious truth of this message, but how will they hear unless someone tells them. As we drive around town, moving past countless people in cars and homes along the way, is our heart burdened with the knowledge that many of those people don’t know Christ, and that without Christ they are headed for eternity separated from the one who has made the way for them through the shedding of His own blood? Do we at least pray that God will make His message known to them? Do we even consider that we could be used by God to share that Message? Don’t worry that you won’t know what to say, or how to say it. Pray first that God will give you the words you need, (they’re His Words anyway), and leave the results up to Him. He is the one who makes the seed of faith grow in our hearts, but unless the seed is planted, unless the Word is spoken, nothing will grow. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom.10:15b) You may never get to see or know the results of sharing your faith, at least not on this side of heaven. Wouldn’t it be great one day to meet someone in heaven who tells you, “I’m here in part because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus”? By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

September Pastor's Desktop Article

“I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NIV) How are we doing with that whole hiding His Word in our heart thing? This isn’t something that we can have someone else do it for us. We can take our car to the mechanic and state the problem and expect them (with some degree of assurance) to fix the problem. We can even have our mechanic do preventative things like changing the oil periodically to keep future problems from happening, but our familiarity with the Word of God isn’t like that—it is truly up to us. Perhaps many of you have a regular time of reading and prayer that you practice on a daily basis, but in a group the size of our congregation there are probably some who have not yet made that a daily practice. The other possibility is that while you may have done well with that practice at some point in your life, maybe right now you’re not as regular with it as you would like. I am inviting everyone in the congregation, young and old alike, to a Bible Reading and Prayer program beginning October 1, 2012. I will be putting together a plan for us to be reading a chapter a day for about 260 days, coincidentally the same number of chapters in the New Testament. If we begin reading a chapter a day beginning in October, we should finish sometime in June with all of the New Testament. I know that for some, this may seem painstakingly slow. My purpose in one chapter a day is this: I think there will be great benefit first of all in having most of the congregation reading the same chapters of Scripture at the same time. I’m hoping for conversations amongst the body about the things you’re reading, and rediscovering along the way. Secondly, I don’t want this to seem overwhelming for anyone. At a chapter a day, even if you get behind a few days or so, you can go back to the plan and get caught up. Thirdly, but only reading a chapter a day, I hope that some thoughtful meditation and prayer will also take place keeping the passage you read along with other things going on in your lives in mind as you do. Finally, if you’re already involved in another reading plan, as I know some of you are, this won’t be too much of an addition to what you’re already doing to be too much. I am already excited thinking about what God might do amongst us as we read and study His Word together, as we are in prayer over various passages together. The other component that will run alongside this Bible Reading Plan is that I intend to draw the sermons for this time period from the chapters that we will have just rest together as a congregation. I hope that you will prayerfully consider being a part of this church-wide effort. I hope that it will help you to remain faithfully in His Word if that has been your practice, or to get you back in His Word if you’ve not been so regular there. Finally, I am trusting in God to make His Word come alive to us as we read and study together. By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

Pastor's Desktop Article for August 2012

Which Jesus is your Jesus? “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, my making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20 NIV) Which Jesus is your Jesus? Is He the Jesus of Scripture, the only begotten Son of God, currently seated at the right hand of the Father, whose substitutionary death on the cross has rescued us from certain eternal spiritual damnation, or is he a Jesus of our own making, one who judges us less harshly, holds us to a lower standard, and requires less of us in following him? Either He is the Son of God, of the same substance and attributes as God the Father has, as is indicated in Scripture (“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of the His being, sustaining all things by his powerful Word…” Heb. 1:3a) , or he is something less; something of our own making, our own design, made to our specifications so that we can easily deal with him, and so that he makes less demands of us. Which Jesus is your Jesus? Churches all over the country, from possibly every denomination and those without denominational affiliation, are settling for a Jesus of their own making. And if there are churches going down this troublesome path, there are certainly many who call themselves “Christian” who are headed down the same troublesome path. This path requires no discipline, no active participation, no great sacrifice, and certainly no suffering for His sake. Why is it that anyone who names Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord thinks that this is what they have “signed up for” is in keeping with the Holy Scriptures? Folks, we can’t claim to be Christian, and have little or no commitment to actually allowing Him to change our lives, to call us to a life of holiness, and discipline, suffering or sacrifice. That’s not what the Bible tells us we can expect. We can expect the world to hate us when we take a stand for Biblical principles, as the world hated Him first. (John 15:18) That doesn’t mean we don’t take that stand, it just means that we shouldn’t expect the pagan world to applaud our decision. My prayer is that all of us will be willing to take a closer look at Scripture and be willing to live out and apply what we find to be the example Jesus has set for us, even if that means being wrongly accused, misunderstood, or mistreated. By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

July 2012 Pastor's Desktop Article

"I beheld then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the hill Difficulty, at the bottom of which there was a spring. There were also in the same place two other ways besides that which came straight from the gate: one turned to the left hand, and the other to the right, at the bottom of the hill; but the narrow way lay right up the hill, and the name of the going up the side of the hill is called Difficulty. Christian now went to the spring, Isa. 49:10, and drank thereof to refresh himself, and then began to go up the hill, saying, “The hill, though high, I covet to ascend; The difficulty will not me offend; For I perceive the way to life lies here: Come, pluck up heart, let’s neither faint nor fear. Better, though difficult, the right way to go, Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.” The other two also came to the foot of the hill. But when they saw that the hill was steep and high, and that there were two other ways to go; and supposing also that these two ways might meet again with that up which Christian went, on the other side of the hill; therefore they were resolved to go in those ways. Now the name of one of those ways was Danger, and the name of the other Destruction. So the one took the way which is called Danger, which led him into a great wood; and the other took directly up the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of dark mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more." (Bunyan, J. (1995). The pilgrim's progress : From this world to that which is to come. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) This passage is from the great Christian Classic, “Pilgrim’s Progress, first published in February, 1678, and written by John Bunyan while imprisoned for 12 years (1660-1672) for preaching and holding services without the permission and consent of the Church of England. His only reference while writing this was the Bible. I recently finished reading the first section of this book, edited into more modern form of English and am now re-reading the original language version. This book has been translated into at least 200 languages, and since it was originally published in 1678, has never been out of print. I would encourage you to include this in your summer reading list, if you do that kind of thing, and even if you don’t, it’s worth your time and effort to read. Even if you’ve read it before, a good classic is always worth going back to refresh your memory. This passage included above is indicative of the allegory used in the book, using names to indicate something about the person or place being referenced and inserting Scripture references to support the allegories along the way. The hill before Christian, the main character who is on a journey to the “celestial city”, is named “Difficulty”. If only we could have in mind the lines that he said as he approached and climbed that hill, we would be less inclined to avoid such difficulty, knowing that the way God has laid before us is best and that He will provide all that we need along the way of that difficulty. This life that we live does not allow us to avoid difficulty, trial and hardship. It’s part and parcel of life in this fallen world. In John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” This wonderful little book captures the struggle of life, of the Christian journey, but also the inestimable value of persevering to the end, and relying heavily on the help that God gives us along the way. Those who have already climbed the hill called “Difficulty”, as Bunyan found himself doing while writing this account, are perhaps best equipped to counsel those in the midst of that journey. Remember that wherever we are on that journey that the one who promised that He will never leave us or forsake us goes with us. By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

Pastor's Desktop Article for June 2012

“When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord’, Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’. “ (John 11:20-21NIV) While we may never ask the question aloud, or even dare to ponder it long, we may at some point have asked ourselves, “Why bother praying?” Allow me to pose the question, and then attempt to answer it in hopes of giving us a greater sense of confidence and faith when we do seek the Father in prayer. Why bother praying? Because of what Martha tells Jesus in the last line of the passage above, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” While we are confronted daily, or on some days even more often than daily, with situations that are beyond our control, or leave us dismayed with what our response to them should be, we have a heavenly Father who is never perplexed, confused or surprised with the situations that we encounter. We pray to our heavenly Father because we know that His resources are limitless—His wisdom and His power to change our circumstances or to give us the strength to endure them is boundless. We pray because we know that God has the power to give us whatever we ask for. In His wisdom, He doesn’t always answer just like we think He should, but in time we will see that His way was best, even if it wasn’t the easiest for us. We pray because we know from Scripture and perhaps from some of our own experiences that God has the power to change things. One of the reasons I feel that it’s a good thing that we share our praises, testimonies and prayer concerns in the morning worship service is that it may help someone who is in need to have others praying for that need, but also because hearing the answers to prayers may help others have greater faith that God will also answer their prayer. We pray because prayer changes things. We pray because the practice brings us closer to the God who wants us to be in close fellowship with Him. We pray because Jesus prayed; and if Jesus had a need to pray, given His relationship with His Father, certainly we need to pray as well. If you ever wanted to be involved in the church, but you weren’t sure how, or didn’t want to be up front and have to talk in front of a group of people, then pray. If you think you are too young or too old to be on a board or committee, but you still want to help, then pray for those on those boards and committees. If you are concerned about someone’s salvation, but you don’t know if you could actually lead them to Christ, then pray that God will send someone to them to lead them to Christ. Be careful though, because He may just send you! By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

May Issue of Pastor's Desktop

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? “ (Psalm 42:1-2 NIV) Most folks who know me very well would think that the thing that really appeals to me of this verse is the reference to deer. As an outdoor enthusiast, and a deer hunter, I can see the appeal there, but let’s look deeper, and see what this psalm is saying, and the question that it asks. How often do we find ourselves longing for God such that we could use the phrase, “my soul pants for you, O God”? If you’re like me, the answer to that is, not near often enough. There could be a variety of reasons for this. It could be that you’re in such close terms with God that you don’t feel distant from Him, and if so, that’s great. Or it could be that it’s been so long since we’ve experienced that measure of closeness that we haven’t even thought about it in a while—not so good. Of course there are many more reasons why we may not have sought after God in a while as this psalm suggests, but let’s look for a moment at all the things that all too often take our focus off of our relationship with God such that we don’t even realize what we’re missing. Busyness, even being busy about “church” things can eventually have us running from one thing to the next so much that we forget about the need for intimacy with God. I think the Pharisees kind of fell into that trap. They were so focused on doing “all the right things” that they forgot to care for their neighbors, to have compassion on those less fortunate, to show mercy to the “sinner”. Sin can also keep us from intimacy with God. Psalm 51:3 states, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” I don’t know about you, but when I come to the Father in prayer, one of the first things that hits my mind when I quiet myself before Him is my sin. I’m glad it’s that way, not because I have sin to deal with, but that I’m made aware of it so that it can be confessed and forgiven before approaching my Father’s throne. But if we allow sin to pile up between us and God, the thought that we’ll have to deal with that sin may keep us from intimacy with Him. Finally, the passage in Psalm 42 asks a question: “When can I go and meet with God?” One of the beautiful things about a relationship with God is that the answer to this question is simply, “Anytime, at any place.” This psalmist later lamented that he missed being with the multitude, gathered with the festive throng, hopefully you take advantage of the opportunity to worship with the congregation each Sunday. (Shameless plug for church attendance). By His Grace Alone, Pastor Bruce Jacobsen

An Easter Letter from Pastor Bruce April 8, 2012

Will We Remember?
Remember… The theme of our Palm Sunday Cantata was “Remember”. I wonder though, will we remember?
Recently, I was looking over some photos and videos of my grandkids when they were first born. Such memories make me smile and think of the relationships that have been built with those same grandkids over the past few years. When putting together a funeral service last week, I took a moment to reflect over the funerals that I’ve done in the last 16 years, as well as those in the last 6 years that I’ve been here at Mt. Pleasant. Those services represent lives full of memories made with family, friends and even some memories that I shared with these saints that have gone on to glory.
While such memories make us smile and may even bring a tear to our eyes, this wasn’t what the lines from the cantata called us to remember. We have been encouraged to stop and give thanks for the Lord’s faithfulness to us in our own lives, but even beyond that, to give thanks for all that He has done in the past—before our time. The pages of Scripture are filled with the faithfulness of God. From Genesis to Revelation, we have one account after another of God’s gracious dealings with man, God’s love for His own, and how that love has been expressed from the garden to the cross.
I believe at least part of the reason we have so many stories of ancient times are so that we see the pattern of God keeping His promises, caring for and teaching His people about who He is, and what He is like. We read about promises made, and then later read about how those promises were kept. We read a prophetic word about the Messiah, and then later read about how that prophesy was fulfilled. We read one continuous story of God’s plan to redeem mankind because of the love God has for us and because of our desperate need for redemption.
The final verse of the last song, which Bill Pedersen sang as a solo, and was written by Tommy Walker, went like this: “I still remember the day You saved me, the day I heard You call me by name. You said You loved me, would never leave me and I’ve never been the same!”1 Can we still remember back to that time? Maybe we can’t remember the time or the place, but hopefully we still remember what it was like to feel loved by God, to feel the weight of our sin lifted from our shoulders, and to sense the closeness we now have with Christ, contrasted with the separation we felt before. Remember what that was like; remember how grateful you felt when you were saved. Remember how unworthy you knew you were, but the grace was offered still.
Remembering will cause us to be a more grateful person; to have a greater sense of dependency on Christ alone for our salvation, and the relationship that we now enjoy with Him. Remembering will help us to remain more humble, and perhaps a bit less inclined to look down our noses at someone else still struggling with their life. Remember when you were in their place, lost and alone and without any real hope in this world. Remember how glad you were when someone shared Christ with you!
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, (I’ll be hitting the big 5-0 this year). Maybe it took 3 months of reviewing the songs of this cantata to jog my memory. Whatever the case, I find the theme of “Remember…” a helpful exercise. Maybe you will too. I also encourage you to do some of that remembering while in prayer too. It will help your prayer life, I promise. Remember the time……..
By His Grace Alone,
Pastor Bruce Jacobsen


1 Vader, Rouse, Apsinall 2012 Remember, Where the Past Ends and Forever Begins, Praisegathering Music Group 83-84