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Within our series on stewardship, we have focused on four areas these past weeks from the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30), where Jesus tells a scribe that the most important commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
We broke these four elements down the past couple of weeks in order to study them. But to summarize the command, we are to love the Lord our God with all of the core of who we are and to the best of our ability. Strength was our topic Sunday and we looked at several good examples of loving God with all of our strength (Abel, Hannah, David, Paul), as well as some not so good examples (Cain, Saul, David). To further illustrate the idea of loving God to the best of our ability (or with all our strength), let’s look at what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his first letter to them. Specifically, let’s look at 4:1, “Finally, then brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more (ESV).” He taught them how to walk and how to please God. So the matter of how to do that is settled but then he also acknowledges something very important: they are living in ways that please God. That’s amazing! He knows they are already living that way and encourages them do so all the more. That’s a valuable lesson for us. May we be living lives that are pleasing to God in Christ and are seeking to be transformed in our minds. Are you living in this way? If so, do so all the more! If not, then turn back to Jesus and move forward walking with Him! And then, do so all the more! As the author of Hebrews reminds us, let’s spur one another on to love and good deeds (10:24). That’s the help and accountability we need to love God through the Lord Jesus with all of our strength because God loved us so much and to the best of His ability that He sent His One and Only Son to rescue us from darkness and be brought into the glorious kingdom of His Beloved Son (Col. 1:13). Let’s continue to grow in Christ, all the more! Let’s stay strong in loving Him! Pastor Andy 
Another day has gone, and a new one begins.
The race we call life seems to never end But we are promised that if we seek, we shall find So let us seek God and love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Our minds are defined as both all of who we are and as a place for rational, intentional thought, cognitive processing, feelings, and problem solving. But do we use our minds? Do we take care of our minds – exercising the mind to stay sharp and to be ready when temptation arises? Do you? We train our minds, by what we put into it (entertainment, news, friends, family, media), by reading, learning, and practicing activities that make us think. 1 Peter 3:15- “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” Let us start reading, listening to, and educating ourselves with extrabiblical knowledge. Grab a book on apologetics (Josh McDowell, Sean McDowell, JP Moreland, Ken Hamm, CS Lewis, Lee Strobel, etc.) Read their thoughts and compare it to Scripture. If you were going to tell someone you know about Jesus but can’t use Scripture, how would you do it? Let us start getting ready to defend our faith, so we can truly fulfill the challenge in 1 Peter 3. May you be ready to defend your faith. If you have any questions on where to start or would like to talk about it – let Andy or I know and we would gladly journey with you. You have the mind of Christ – 1 Corinthians 2:16 – use it well and use it often. Blessings, Pastor Kyle 
Greetings NewLife,
Whether or not soul care is a new concept for you or one that you have been aware of for decades we need to take care of our soul. We need to position ourselves to spend time with God and listen. This is not an easy task because our culture trains us to keep busy and give no thought or priority to spending time alone with God. So, let’s try it, shall we. Let us take 5 minutes a day and be in silence by ourselves. Get to school or work five minutes before you normally get there and sit in your car or before you go into your home sit there and just be for a few minutes. Get up five minutes earlier or go to bed five minutes earlier and lay in your bed in the stillness of the evening and be with your Creator. We should no longer just keep pressing on when our souls are thirsty, downcast, or unsatisfied. We need to be aware of our soul and it should be magnifying the Lord, glorifying God, and an ever-present witness to God’s grace and mercy. Sunday we will be talking about the mind and how, very similar, to our souls, we neglect it – take it for granted and allow the world to take us away from what truly is important. Reflect on Romans 12:1-2 in preparation for Sunday and pray about how you are to work toward renewing your mind and being a living sacrifice. Blessings and hope to see you Sunday. Pastor Kyle
It’s amazing to me how there are so many songs about the heart and about love in pop culture. While I played several songs on Sunday before the start of my sermon, there were many, many more that included the themes about love and the heart that I could have also included. I think that speaks to how the world is looking to understand, know and find love. It also shows me that pop culture can capture the human experience in powerful expressions. As I noted on Sunday, U2’s song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking for” is such an example. The chorus, which repeats the title of the song, expresses the search of looking for something in life and not finding it, despite basically searching everywhere and through everything. It’s just like what the theologian Augustine said as well, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” The world’s songs and the testimony of our own hearts speak to the restlessness within us until we find it in Jesus.
That’s why we have the privilege from God to have a heart: so that we could know Him (Rom. 10:9-10) and to know His love (Rom. 5:5). It stands to reason then, that God ought to have the privilege of being Who we love the most. For what we love, we serve (Matt. 6:21). No wonder because of this that He also commands us to guard our hearts for it is the wellspring/source of life (Prov. 4:23). The Father wants us to guard the very core of us, which He’s given to us so we can grow deeper in His love and experience Him more. This also means that we eliminate unnecessary/unproductive things that distract us from Him and avoid loving things that would lead us away from Him. King Solomon’s life is a sad commentary on this (1 Kings 11:1-4). My friends, I’m going to include the questions from the sermon handout from Sunday as a way for us to reflect on the impact of our hearts in life. Questions:
Please read Psalm 63 for Sunday. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer (Ps. 19:14). Bless your hearts! (**REMINDER FROM SUNDAY: when I say this phrase, I mean it as an encouragement and kindness, not an insult!) Pastor Andy 
The talents and gifts that God has graciously given to us in Christ Jesus are the ways that He has designed us to minister to one another (1 Cor. 12:7) and to proclaim His love to the lost world.
That’s His plan and He’s not slow about it. He’s waiting for the fullness of those who would believe in Jesus to come into relationship with Him, not wanting any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). We’re in His plan and there is no Plan B. These gifts are given by Him so that we would care for one another and to grow up into maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:13). And, seeing that it is God who empowers each gift within us (1 Cor. 12:6b), we run the risk of blocking, even quenching, His work that would bring further fulfillment in our lives and powerful ministry in the lives of others around us. I think that’s something we don’t think of or perhaps more accurately, we don’t care to think about, that when we don’t use our gifts, we cost others a blessing, maybe even the opportunity to know Jesus. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying we’re wonderful but His grace is wonderful and He’s worthy of us getting messy in serving others. The scandal of the Corinthian church was that they all wanted the flashy and showy gifts. If you were to ask me what the scandal surrounding the gifts in our time, I would answer like this: Apathy: Believers don’t care what their gifts are. Unawareness: Some believers don’t know their gifts, plain and simple. Negligence: Believers know their gifts but either hide from using them or simply just don’t engage. Overuse: There is something called the 80/20 principle. It’s the observation that 20% of folks are doing 80% of the work in the church, and risk either overuse or burnout, all the while others sit out. Brothers and sisters, this ought not to be this way (James 3:10b).This isn’t my drumming volunteers for things at the church. You’re just costing yourself a blessing by not serving. If you are part of the 20%, many thanks for serving the Lord and know that He will honor that. If you’re part of the 80%, get moving and be about serving Him! My friends, our best ability in serving the Lord is our availability to do what He asks of us. Blessings, Pastor Andy 
Teach us to number our days carefully, so that we may develop a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
If you joined us on Sunday, you might recall that I shared a story about intentionally turning the wrong way in Bellville last Friday in order to save time on my trip. I’m happy to report that as I was traveling the same way on Sunday afternoon, I took the correct path and took the right turn! I found it very interesting that it really didn’t add as much time as I thought it would on Friday. Isn't it funny (or sometimes not so funny) how time can seem to press in on us? In fact, as we know, it’s in the context of time that our life’s journey is played out. There was another song I was going to play as part of my introduction on Sunday but left it out since I already played several songs. I want to take a moment to share some lines from this song that is one of the Smith family’s favorite songs. It’s titled, “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas. Here are the lyrics I’m referring to: Our lives are made In these small hours These little wonders These twists and turns of fate Time falls away But these small hours These small hours still remain It’s a poignant song that captures the sentiments that our lives are made up of these small hours that are the most significant in the end. God has given us these small moments & hours (and sometimes big moments & hours) that we would know, love and serve Him. He’s the source of our time and it’s important that we use it wisely to honor Jesus. No wonder Moses prays and asks God to help him have a heart of wisdom in regards to all his days. We can learn a lot from Moses in Psalm 90! Here are the questions I included in the handout from Sunday for us to ponder again on our time usage: What are God’s purposes He wants accomplished? What are your priorities? (Any discrepancies with the above question?) What are your personal time-wasters? What season are you in? It’s important to know what season you are currently in: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. What do you need to do to make the most of your time? Please read 1 Corinthians 12 for Sunday and blessings as He redeems the time for you! Pastor Andy 
Somehow God uses our giving to further his kingdom. I think that’s one of many reasons that God commands and tells us to give back to Him. For when we give to Him, it acknowledges Him as the source of everything in our life, not just financial provision. In Leviticus,, He commanded that tithes and offerings be brought into the storehouse to provide for the priests and that these offerings would be holy unto the Lord. In Proverbs 3:9-10, He promises that those who honor Him in these ways would have barns that overflowed.
In New Testament times, with our giving, we get to advance missions, support local ministry and help those in need. But, ultimately, all of this is to enable the kingdom to move forward and to help us realize how much money can get a hold of our hearts, if we’re not careful to love Jesus more. Paul warns us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10) and indeed we don’t have to look far in the world to see what evil has happened around the pursuit of money. Even in the church world, sadly, there’s much corruption around money. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us to be content with what we have and to know that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). That’s why prayerful examination is so important in making sure that we are honoring Him, above all, with our first and with our best. Because after all, the Father gave us His first and best in Jesus. I’d like us to be praying for our time together on Sunday as we examine how to best use our time God has given us on this earth. To that end, please read Psalm 90. We give, because He first gave to us! Blessings! Pastor Andy 
Three servants were entrusted with the possessions and wealth of their master in the Parable of the Talents in Matt. 25. The first servant received five talents, the second servant received two talents, and the third servant received one. The Scripture expressly notes that the master gave these talents to the servants based on their ability (Matt. 25:15). He knew what he was doing in giving such wealth for them to manage as a talent represented 20 years worth of wages. That’s no small amount! The first two servants immediately went out and began to grow their master’s wealth. The third servant? He went and hid it in the ground. As you can imagine, the master was pleased with the first two and angry with the third servant.
This parable of Jesus should sober us up pretty quickly because He’s entrusted so much to us, His servants! For the master to find his servants doing what he asked of them was pleasing. To find a third servant who buried his precious treasure in the ground had to be frustrating to say the least. Jesus is teaching us this parable so we will be ready for His return by being faithful in what He’s asked us to do. He wants us to love Him, live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and share Jesus with the world! Just as the servants gave an account to their master, so we will give an accounting of every area of our lives to Jesus. Here are the questions I asked us to prayerfully ponder at the end of our time together on Sunday:
Friends, let’s get working with the talents the master has given to us! Pastor Andy 
Hello NewLife Family!
I’m going to share a thought with you that I shared with staff this morning at our weekly meeting. It’s from A.W. Tozer, who was an Alliance pastor and respected author but was also widely recognized in his time as one who walked closely with God. Here it is: “On our part, there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.” (Quoted from the book, The Pursuit of God, and a chapter called “The Universal Presence”) Here we see Uncle Tozer (yes, I call him that because of his legacy in our denomination), striking upon something very important. He’s noting the difference between a nominal Christian life and one marked with the glory and the presence of God. We’ve all met those saints who just seem to shine with Jesus in whatever they’re doing, whether worshipping on a Sunday morning or washing windows on a Tuesday morning. What’s the difference? Uncle Tozer had it right: our living submission to the Father. Jesus promised His disciples, both in His time on earth and those of us who would follow later, that He and the Father would make their home with those who love Jesus and keep His word. That obedience is to be marked by love: not just duty or grinding our way through but loving Jesus and wanting to do what He says. That’s what sets apart one from the other, a nominal Christian life or a radiant life in Christ. The latter is my goal. It’s what I want for my family, for the NewLife family, for everyone really. Because, not only does our salvation hinge upon Jesus but so does our joy, our love, our meaning, our very lives. When we stand before Jesus, I want Him to say, “It’s so good to see you! You’ve done it! You’ve done what I asked you to do. Come enter the joy of My Presence.” There’s nothing nominal about that. Pastor Andy 
As we walked through some of the main points in 1 John on Sunday, we paused to dwell on this verse found in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” (NIV)
John is sharing what he heard directly from Jesus. It’s the words of the Word that John is passing on to us. It’s the message of Jesus and the Son wants us to know that the Father is light. He’s not saying the Father has the light or it’s with Him but that He Himself is the Light. To further clarify his point, John makes it clear that there is not even a hint of darkness in the Father. Who God is, is who God is. Period. There’s no deception, there’s no shadow or turning with Him (James 1: 17), there’s no darkness in Him at all, as the NIV, ESV, NLT all state. The CSB says, “there is absolutely no darkness in Him.” So, then, we can trust Him! He’s not going to play games, trick us, or deceive us. He isn’t tempted by evil and tempts no one with evil (James 1:13). In other words, He’s a Good God. Everything about Him is good and all His ways are good. The problem is that we live in a fallen world where sometimes our vision of His Goodness can be blocked by our circumstances (either internal or external), and so we can sometimes wonder, doubt, or even despair. Thankfully, even in these hard times, He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death and those shadows can be very dark! And, the darkness that covers us or that we seek to hide behind, even that, David says, is like light to Him. “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day for darkness is as light with you.” Ps. 139:12 (ESV) And what our lives? We are called to walk in the light as He is in the light, so we can have fellowship with one another and Jesus’ blood will cleanse us (1 John 1:7). It’s no wonder then, that Jesus, the Truth Incarnate, tells us this about His Father. Let’s make sure we’re listening! Let’s walk in the Light! Pastor Andy 
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