The Calm in our Storms

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Calm Storms

Sunday 10/06/24

Title: The Calm in our Storms

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The Calm in our Storms

Psalm 54:1-7,

“(1) To the Chief Musician.

With Stringed Instruments.

A Contemplation of David When the Ziphites Went and Said to Saul,

Not Hiding with Us?”
Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength.(2) Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.

(3) For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah (4) Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life. (5) He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth. (6) I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. (7) For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.”

Psalm 56:1-13, 

“”(1) For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;

a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.  (2)  Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long.

Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.  

(3)  When I am afraid, I trust in you.  

(4)  In God – I boast in his promise – in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?  

(5)  All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise.  (6)  They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life.  (7)  Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape!

In your anger bring down the nations, O God!  (8)  You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?  

(9)  My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.  

(10)  In God – I boast in his promise – in the LORD – I boast in his promise –  (11)  in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?  

(12)  I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve,  (13)  when you deliver my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.”

Psalm 37:1-40, 

“By David.

Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers!  (2)  For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.  

(3)  Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity!  (4)  Then you will take delight in the LORD, and he will answer your prayers.  

(5)  Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.  (6)  He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause.  

(7)  Wait patiently for the LORD! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes!  

(8)  Do not be angry and frustrated! Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!  

(9)  Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the LORD are the ones who will possess the land.  (10)  Evil men will soon disappear; you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone.  (11)  But the oppressed will possess the land and enjoy great prosperity.  

(12)  Evil men plot against the godly and viciously attack them.  (13)  The Lord laughs in disgust at them, for he knows that their day is coming.  

(14)  Evil men draw their swords and prepare their bows, to bring down the oppressed and needy, and to slaughter those who are godly.  (15)  Their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.  

(16)  The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men,  (17)  for evil men will lose their power, but the LORD sustains the godly.  

(18)  The LORD watches over the innocent day by day and they possess a permanent inheritance.  (19)  They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will have enough to eat.  (20)  But evil men will die; the LORD’s enemies will be incinerated – they will go up in smoke.  

(21)  Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous.  

(22)  Surely those favored by the LORD will possess the land, but those rejected by him will be wiped out.  

(23)  The LORD grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable.  (24)  Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the LORD holds his hand.  

(25)  I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or his children forced to search for food.  

(26)  All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, and his children are blessed.  

(27)  Turn away from evil! Do what is right! Then you will enjoy lasting security.  (28)  For the LORD promotes justice, and never abandons his faithful followers. They are permanently secure, but the children of evil men are wiped out.  

(29)  The godly will possess the land and will dwell in it permanently.  (30)  The godly speak wise words and promote justice.  (31)  The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.  

(32)  Evil men set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them.  (33)  But the LORD does not surrender the godly, or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.  

(34)  Rely on the LORD! Obey his commands! Then He will permit you to possess the land; you will see the demise of evil men.  

(35)  I have seen ruthless evil men growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.  (36)  But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! I looked for them, but they could not be found.  

(37)  Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the upright! For the one who promotes peace has a future.  

(38)  Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; evil men have no future.  (39)  But the LORD delivers the godly; he protects them in times of trouble.  

(40)  The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from evil men and delivers them, for they seek his protection.

Blessings!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!