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Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as Pastor Norm completes our summer series, Postcards with a Punch. Only 13 verses long, the tiny memo that is II John would have barely filled a single sheet of paper. It's like a note we might write and drop in the mail to a close friend. However, as I've shared throughout this series, short does not mean insignificant, and the letter of II John is no exception. II John contains three principles we can spend the rest of our lives putting into practice. These aren't complicated, but they are difficult, because navigating between unconditional love and discerning truth will always be a challenge for followers of Jesus.
First, loving others is a fundamental expression of authentic Christianity. Nowhere does John dismiss the idea of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. One of the greatest forms of witness we can have is to show love toward each other and those outside the church. Second, embracing the truth is equally important. The one who loves you the most is the one who tells you the truth. It isn't loving to let a person engage in destructive, ungodly behavior just because we don't want to offend them. This means we need to know the truth, grow in the truth, and study Scripture and sound theology. If you don't know what you believe and why, you won't know where to stand on any doctrinal or moral issue--at least not with any solid conviction. Take time to study and be strengthened in the truths of God's Word. Third, love and truth are not mutually exclusive. We must know the truth and take a stand for it without backtracking, compromising or downplaying its importance in the role of a follower of Jesus. At the same time, we need to be gracious and winsome in our witness. As I Peter 3:15-16 states: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." We must stand for the truth, but at the same time, we must extend love and walk in grace. We must love within the banks of love and discernment...and learn to live in the tension of grace and truth. Note: Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st. This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus. We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag. The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq. Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors. Finally, John Crisan (wife Syliva, son Alex), went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, July 31st. On behalf of Sylvia and family, I want to invite you to attend a Celebration of Life service for John. This special time of remembrance will take place tomorrow, Saturday, August 13th at 10:00am in the Fireside Room of Parkside Fellowship. Please join us for this special time of remembering the life God gave John and the love and laughter he shared with his family and all who knew him. Also, please pass this information along to those who would be interested in attending. See you Sunday! Pastor Doug Too often, Christians believe that just because we follow God, that somehow we should be immune to life's challenges. But if you've followed Jesus for any length of time, you know that's not always the case. During the rough seasons of life, it can be easy to turn our back on God, believing that He has turned his back on us. The book of Habakkuk shows us that there is another option for dealing with our struggles, fears and doubts.
Habakkuk saw God unleash His wrath on the world. Confused and upset, he asked God the question we all want to ask: "Why?" Like Habakkuk, one of the best things we can do with our doubt is to present our questions to God and spend time with Him in prayer. In Habakkuk 3, the prophet is finishing a long conversation with God. He reflects on who God is, remembers the past faithfulness of God and ultimately cries out: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:18 Remembering who God is, His faithfulness in the past, and His promises for the future gives us confidence to trust God with what's happening right now. Even though we live in a sin-filled world with loss, hardships, doubt, stress and fear, we can choose how we respond. The difference when we face each day with Jesus is that we have the ability to experience joy, peace, love and security even in hard times. Take time today to read the book of Habakkuk, and then ask yourself: "Is there anything about my response to doubt that needs to change?". Join us Sunday at 9:30am, as we take a deep dive into the postcard book of Habakkuk. Note: Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st. This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus. We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag. The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq. Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug Brennan Manning, author of the Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba's Child, began speaking mostly to evangelical Protestant audiences after his status as a divorced priest made him unwelcome in many Catholic churches. A small, nondescript man with a head of snow-white hair, he would usually start his talks slowly, until the Holy Spirit took over and he would immediately launch into a passionate speech about the grace of God. Below is one of those speeches:
"Why is Brennan Manning lovable in the eyes of God? Because on February 8th of 1956, in a shattering, life-changing experience, I committed my life to Jesus. Does God love me because ever since I was ordained a priest in 1963, I roamed the country and lately all over the world proclaiming the Good News of the gospel of grace? Does God love me because I tithe to the poor? Does he love me because back in New Orleans I work on skid row with alcoholics, addicts, and those who suffer with AIDS? Does God love me because I spend two hours every day in prayer? If I believe that stuff I'm a Pharisee! Then I feel I'm entitled to be comfortably close to Christ because of my good works. The gospel of grace says, "Brennan, you're lovable for one reason only--because God loves you. Period." Using the power of his own story toward semi-transformation, this aging, outcast-priest from New Jersey embodies the saving power of the gospel of grace and invites anyone who will listen to join him on the venture. This should be attitude of the local church. That God intends the best for us, that sin and failure are inevitable but forgiveness is guaranteed, that a supportive community bears burdens and comforts the needy. I wonder how different the church would look to a watching world, if Christians everywhere simply loved one another, just as God has loved us. This is the main point of I John 4:7-21. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as the apostle John invites us to examine our lives in order to see if we pass the "love God, love others" test. Note: Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st. This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus. We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag. The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq. Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our study in I John. The book of I John can seem at times, confusing and repetitive. I John tends to follow a meandering path around a number of different themes and topics. The Apostle John begins by pointing us to the idea of walking in the light, before moving on to the need to confess our sin to God. He then goes back to the theme of light...then to love...then back to sin again...then to truth...back to light, and so on. This is what makes the book of I John so hard to study. But remember, even with all its twists and turns, the overarching theme of I John is this: Close fellowship with God and with his son, Jesus, is the key to a joyful, discerning and confident life. I John is ultimately about loving God and living in the confidence of our relationship with Him.
I love how the Psalmist expressed his love for God in Psalm 73:23-26: "Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever." Make this the prayer of your heart today. Let us desire nothing but God, possess nothing but God, and pursue nothing but God. I want to encourage you to stay after the service and check-out one of our discipleship opportunities that meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prays for one another. Blessings. Doug First of all, "Thank You" Larry for delivering the postcard from III John. As Larry mentioned last Sunday, when you send postcards from your travels, seldom do they arrive in the order in which you mailed them, and our series, Postcards with a Punch, is no different. While we wait for the arrival of the "postcard" from II John, this Sunday, we will be reading from I John. While I John may not technically qualify as a postcard letter, I think it's only appropriate that we complete John's trilogy of letters to the early church.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am as we look at John's first epistle. In addressing the early church, John presents a simple, uncomplicated worldview of right and wrong: light versus darkness, truth verses falsehood, righteousness versus sin, love of God versus love of the world. With clarity of perspective and singularity of purpose, John redraws lines that had begun to fade in the minds of his readers who were beginning to compromise and find themselves lost in the fog of moral and spiritual relativism. While John's solid stand for the truth of the gospel might be viewed by some as unloving, this couldn't be further from the truth. While John teaches on the importance of recognizing the lines between truth and error, he never forgets that truth must always be delivered in a spirit of love. I want to encourage you to stay after the service and check-out one of our discipleship opportunities that meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalm and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. Blessings. Doug First of all, I want to give a big "SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU!" to Juan for filling in for Pastor Norm last Sunday. As always, he did a great job. Thanks Juan!
This Sunday at 9:30am, Larry Annes will continue our series, Postcards with a Punch. This week, Larry will be sharing from the shortest book in the Bible...III John...with only 219 words. Our world continues to become more unsettled and chaotic by the minute. People are angry and bitterly divided over everything from politics to medicine. Even family members are finding all kinds of reasons to either avoid or verbally spar with one another. Why? Because of the mounting pressure in just about every area of our lives and everyone is feeling it. This includes churches and Christians. The external issues of our time (the pandemic, economics, mental health, fear, anxiety, moral depravity, relational stress, etc.) coupled with the internal spiritual poverty of our society are creating an environment where people are acting out in ways that are creating havoc. How are we, as followers of Jesus, to respond in this historic moment? Well, the good news is that the answer is a rather simple one! Choose to impact those around you by living your life on the foundation of Christlike lovability. In other words, be so loving to others that your example helps them want to stop acting in hurtful ways and choose to follow Jesus. The book of 3rd John draws our attention to the idea of servant-leadership, driven by a deep desire to lead and love like Jesus. It's not too late to join one of our Adult Bible Studies. These discipleship opportunities meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. Blessings. Doug Happy July 4th Parkside Family!
Monday is July 4th, and my family, like most families across America, will celebrate with food and fireworks! As you take time to celebrate our freedom as a nation, I want to encourage you to also take time to celebrate the freedom we have as followers of Jesus. I Corinthians 15:1-4 provides for us a clear picture of the freedoms we have because of our faith in Jesus. First, "Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said". Jesus died for one reason: to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we can experience freedom and eternal life. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we stand righteous before a holy God. This is our justification. Second, "He was buried", Romans 6 tells us that because of Jesus' death, sin no longer has dominion over us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to live righteous lives. This is our sanctification. Third, "and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said". His death alone could not save us; it was the resurrection that showed God's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice, and that gives us power unto salvation. The resurrection guarantees a future in Heaven for us. This is our glorification. As you pray for our country, take time to thank God for the freedom we have because of Jesus. This Sunday at 9:30am, Pastor Norm will continue our series, Postcards with a Punch. This week, our focus will be on the second shortest book of the Bible, which coincidentally is II John. While II John has fewer verses than III John.....13 vs.15...II John has 26 more words. So, which book you consider to be the shortest book in the Bible, depends on what method you use.....word count or verse count. For our purpose, we are using the word count method, which makes II John the second shortest book in the Bible. The short postcard letter of II John was written, out of love for fallen humanity, to save us from our own foolishness by letting us know that eternal life is knowable and that it is definitely discoverable in Jesus. And the blessing is this: Discovering the truth of God is the way everyone can experience the love of God. In fact, it is the only way. This Postcard with a Punch, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shows you and me how we can have both God's truth and God's love guiding, inspiring and transforming our lives. Take time before Sunday to read II John and let God's love and truth shape and mold you into the likeness of Jesus. It's not too late to join one of our Adult Bible Studies. These discipleship opportunities meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. Blessings. Pastor Doug This Sunday at 9:30am, we will return from a one week break and continue our series, Postcards with a Punch.
This week, we will be looking at the shortest (in the Old Testament) and least read book (according to biblegateway.com) in the entire Bible...the book of Obadiah. Why would I preach on such a short and obscure book of the Bible? I think Paul said it best in Romans, where he wrote the following: "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." Romans 15:4 As we will see on Sunday, the book of Odadiah was given to restore Israel's faith in God, who came to the defense of a ravaged nation...families who had lost everything...in order to rescue, restore and return them to a nation filled with hope for a rich and satisfying future. For us, the book of Obadiah reminds us that God is sovereign. That God is watching and that nothing happens outside of his knowledge and plan. Our comfort is found in knowing that God will make all things right in the end! Take some time today to read Psalm 121 and allow the words of the Psalmist to provide you with hope for tomorrow. It's not too late to join one of our Adult Bible Studies. These discipleship opportunities meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. See you Sunday Pastor Doug God is presented in Scripture by a variety of images. He is called our Rock, our Refuge, our Shepherd, our Shield, our Redeemer, and our Deliverer. But I would argue that no picture of God is more powerful and personal than seeing God as our Father. With this title, the invisible God becomes the intimate God. When Jesus spoke the words, "Our Father who is in heaven...", he unlocked the door to the living room of God's house and invited us to come in and sit with our Heavenly Father. A father who will never turn you away. The door to his house is never closed.
"Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39) Come celebrate Father's Day at Parkside Fellowship. Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we learn why God is our "perfect" father. A father who is holy. A father who is the almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. We speak truth when we call him King. And we also speak truth when we call him by his favorite name...Abba, Father. Join us after the service at 10:45am for one of our new Adult Bible Studies. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Special Note: As many of you are aware, Kent Johnson, passed away on May 31st. On behalf of Susan and the family, I would like to extend an invitation to attend the Celebration of Life service for Kent. The service will be on Thursday, June 23rd. Below are the details: June 23rd (Thursday) Finley-Sunset Hills Memorial Park 6801 SW Sunset Hwy Portland Viewing: 12:30pm Service: 1:00pm Reception: 2:00pm Graveside: 3:00pm If you are unable to attend the service, but would like to send Susan a note of encouragement, please send them to the following address: Susan Johnson 10790 NW 285th Drive North Plains, OR. 97133 Thank you for being a church body that prays for one another. See you Sunday Pastor Doug This Sunday, at 9:30am, as we continue our series, Postcards with a Punch, we will be moving away from the judgemental tone of Jude and looking at a heartfelt letter sent by Paul to his friend and ministry co-worker, Philemon. Between the lines of this picture postcard of forgiveness is a message for all of us--a message about second chances and showing mercy. Philemon is a message about grace.
Of the thirteen letters Paul wrote in the New Testament, Philemon is the shortest, and like Jude, only 25 verses. Writing from Rome, Paul addresses a slave owner named Philemon. Paul's purpose isn't to confront a heresy or straighten out a doctrinal confusion. Instead, with a personal tone that can only come from a true friend, he writes to restore a broken relationship. He appeals to Philemon to welcome back Onesimus, a runaway slave who most likely stole from Philemon, fled to Rome, but who has become a Christian through Paul's ministry. Take time this weekend to read the book of Philemon and, as you do, ask yourself these questions: Christ forgives the runaway, but am I willing to forgive myself and those who have hurt me? Can I open my arms to His grace? Join us after the service at 10:45am for one of our new Adult Bible Studies. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalm and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Special Note: As many of you are aware, Kent Johnson, passed away on May 31st. On behalf of Susan and the family, I would like to extend an invitation to attend the Celebration of Life service for Kent. The service will be on Thursday, June 23rd. Below are the details: June 23rd (Thursday) Finley-Sunset Hills Memorial Park 6801 SW Sunset Hwy Portland Viewing: 12:30pm Service: 1:00pm Reception: 2:00pm Graveside: 3:00pm If you are unable to attend the service, but would like to send Susan a note of encouragement, please send them to the following address: Susan Johnson 10790 NW 285th Drive North Plains, OR. 97133 Please pray for Susan Johnson, Tim Law, Margaret Morton, Jeanette Moore and others in our church family who grieving from the loss of a loved one. See you Sunday Pastor Doug |
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