When I was first asked to write something for the bulletin, my reaction was “I’m not a writer”. Then I thought about God asking Moses to speak to the Pharaoh to free the Jews. Exodus 6:30 – But Moses said to the LORD, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?” Then when I was talking to Nancy, Pastor’s wife she reminded me that God used common fishermen to write the Gospels. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Not to say that this is extraordinary, well me writing anything extraordinary is. Think about what happed to Jonah when he disobeyed God. Jonah 1:17, Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. I can’t speak for everybody but I don’t want that to happen to me. Paul said it well in 2 Corinthians 12:10 “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  Therefore, if we let God turn our weakness into His strengths we can achieve great things for Him – 1 Chronicles 16:11. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always – 2 Corinthians 12:9. “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” So in turn I hope that this small writing will strengthen somebody including me, as to aspire to God’s will.

Written by Brandan Emley,

Deacon, Calvary Chapel Monmouth County

The world is in rough shape. That we are living in the “terrible times” (perilous times, KJV) of 2 Timothy 3:1 can hardly be seriously doubted. We are seeing the rapid spread of a vicious organized army called ISIS, for which nothing is beyond their limits of barbaric cruelty. They bury little children alive. They behead babies and others just for the sake of spreading death and destruction. They certainly fit the description of the four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6. ISIS is spreading rapidly, bringing otherwise innocent children, and young people into its murderous fold by the thousands. Day after day their leaders stir them into a frenzied urge to kill all Americans and all others who are not of their brand of Islam. And sadly, the international community is doing virtually nothing to stop them. They stand by indifferent to this present day holocaust, and at best make mild protests and empty threats that bring nothing but cynical laughter from the enemy. ISIS has made it ultimate intention known – ISIS is preparing daily for that time when they can come to take the United States. They are out to get us! This is not a political issue. It is a moral humanitarian issues. And we need to make our voices heard loud and clear. If the nations of the world would act together on this now, this demonic horde could be stopped almost overnight. Meanwhile, thousands of innocents are being crucified, beheaded, buried alive, and murdered in other vicious ways. Let’s get serious in prayer about this. And a letter to your congressman urging U.S. action wouldn’t hurt.

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW, PASTOR

As evangelical Christians, we believe wholeheartedly in salvation. But just what is “salvation”?  The word in the original Bible languages (Hebrew, Old Testament Greek, New Testament) means “deliverance”, “liberation”, “wholeness”, “soundness”. Wholeness and soundness are the positive aspects of salvation.  The emptiness of life is filled with purpose, meaning, and direction.  Deliverance and liberation refer to being set free from self-centeredness and addictions that once set the direction for the total life.  So salvation is that act of God that sets us free from an old way of life — what the Bible calls the “flesh”.  And sets us free to something as well as from something. We are saved to a new life of freedom and purpose.  The saved one has something lasting to live for.  He or she is saved into a new society or community called the Church, the Body of Christ, the new People of God.  Salvation means the surrender of the life to the Person, will, and purpose of God.  Jesus never made it so easy for potential converts that they simply repeated a little prayer and then went on their same merry way.  He called for commitment, surrender, and dedication.  “He who would be my disciple”, he told the hearers of his day, “must take up his cross daily and follow me”. When one heard his message and turned and walked away, it broke Jesus heart”. Watching him leave, Jesus loved him”, we are told.  Yet Jesus didn’t run after him offering to compromise his message if he would only follow him! Let’s not make it more difficult than it is — but let’s not compromise Jesus message, either!   REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW, PASTOR

Jesus rebuked some of the people of his day for their inability to interpret the signs of the times. “You can discern this-worldly events, such as the warnings in the sky that a storm is on the way, but you are so dense regarding the signs of God’s times, he told them.  Jesus then relates events that would continue through all of time, such as wars and rumors of wars, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, many professing Christians departing from the faith, etc. The one primary sign announcing the end is the spread of the Gospel throughout the world (Matthew 24:14). The last 2 or 3 years, and especially the last two months, have seen a significant escalation in these events.  Israel is surrounded by armies, this time with capabilities of wiping out the entire nation, if not held back by Israel’s military.  Russia is once again taking the spotlight of international concern, but with very little restraint.  The international community seems paralyzed with inaction. Martyrdom is increasing, as many Christians are paying with their lives for refusing to renounce Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Meanwhile, the Gospel is penetrating into more and more kingdoms of the world.  There are relatively few places where it has not reached. On a pastoral note, are you ready for Jesus return? Do you have a regular prayer time when you talk with him — both talking and listening?  Often our prayers involve our doing all the talking. No relationship can continue that way.  Try that with your wife, or husband! Do worship and witness have top billing on your agenda? When did you last invite a neighbor to church with you?  According to most recent surveys, 80 to 90% of people asked by a neighbor to go to church with them, would go.  In light of God’s word — and all that is transpiring in the world today — we have some work to do! Jesus said, “The fields are white already to harvest…get to work while it is day! The night is coming, when no one can work!” The night — not for the believer but for the unsaved — may be here sooner than we had expected.  Be ready!

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW, PASTOR

Nobody can honestly, with eyes wide-open, doubt that our beloved America is embroiled in deep, seemingly irreversible crisis. Hostility to the Cross and all that it represents has deepened over the last 10 years and continues to do so. In June 2011, the Pac10 moved to invite the secular institutions from the Big XII to join the Pac10 in a super-conference.  But the oldest educational institution in Texas, a Christian university, Baylor University, was excluded!  Secularists at the University of California said clearly, explicitly, publicly, vehemently that there is no place for a Christian university in this athletic conference! No other reason — just that it was Christian!  This is one of many examples of the marginalization and exclusion of everything Christian from our culture. What is the answer to this, in our once-Christian culture?  Let’s start with an analysis about how we got there in the first place.  We have substituted moralism — legalism — for the message of the Cross.  The fundamentalist churches have their list of taboos, and the liberal churches have theirs.  But moralism is different from morality, and taboos are different from godly living. The cross, resurrection, and Presence of the Holy Spirit bring strange and life-changing power and motivation, inexplicable in any other way.  Religion is only a list of moralistic and societal rules without the power of the Cross. The cross shows us what we really are — sinful, proud, self-serving egoists in rebellion against a holy God. But on the other side, a loving, forgiving God who went all the way to the cruel death of crucifixion and abandonment, so we could be saved and have the power to live a life that would bring others to embrace the Cross, and also be saved. No wonder the song-writer could pen the words, “In the Cross of Christ I glory…”

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW PH.D., PASTOR

What in the world is going on? Can we handle one more crisis? The flood of immigrants at our border with Mexico — wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and now Israel with Hamas. The radical Muslim group ISIS is set to attack Jerusalem, vowing that the United States is next. How many well-placed nuclear bombs, smuggled into the U.S. by terrorists, would it take to effectively eliminate our country? And they say it’s not “if” they destroy the U.S., but “when.” In addition, numerous internal difficulties such as a confused health -care system and serious economic and employment woes. What should be our response to these crises and imminent crises? We could panic and have a nervous breakdown! We could spend time and energy finding who to blame for the disasters! Or, more positively, we could get more serious about our dedication to God and the work to which he has called us. Worship, witness, service, and prayer could become unmovable top priorities, never giving way to any lesser call. Distraction from these is the Devil’s most effective weapon in our spiritual warfare. World crises have been reversed many times in our nation’s history by spiritual revival. A promise originally given to ancient Israel is equally apropos to us today — “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal the land.” Let’s claim that promise!

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW PH.D., PASTOR

On this Fathers’ Day, 2014, it is good to ponder the meaning of “fatherhood”. Being a father means more than providing the biological substance to create another human being.  In fact, many are fathers who are not so biologically, but are very much so relationally, sociologically, psychologically. Fatherhood is important enough to God, the Heavenly Father, to be included in the 10 Commandments, where God calls upon offspring to honor their father.  “Father” is one of the many descriptive titles of God, expressing his relation to the world of humanity, and in a special way, to all the redeemed, He is our Father in a special way. The one prayer the Lord taught his followers addresses God as “Our Father.” As visible representations of the invisible God, we are to reflect the fatherly character of our heavenly Father.  God is the Father of providence and protection, who feeds even the birds of the air and clothes the lily of the fields. And when we pray, it is to God as our Father that we pray.  None of us earthly fathers can come close to the fatherly qualifications of our heavenly Father.  But we are called upon to impartially love our children, provide for them as best we can, protect them from a sometimes hostile world without over-protecting them. Dads, we have a lot of work to do to fulfill all that.  We need all of God’s grace that we can receive.  And God bless all of our Dads at Calvary.  You’re not perfect, your fatherhood will find plenty of places to call for forgiveness. But our heavenly Father is patient and loving, and teaches us as we follow Him.

Rev. Dr. Richard L. Shaw PH.D., Pastor

There is an old cliché’ that it is better to remain silent and have people think we don’t know anything, than to open our mouths and confirm it! Silence may be a better choice  in other areas also. We, although not necessarily intentionally, use our tongue often in hurtful ways. This same tongue, that one moment Christians use to bless God and sing praises to his Name, sometimes instead of uplifting others and bringing encouragement is often releasing a careless word here or there that causes a brother or sister in the Lord undeserved pain or embarrassment. On occasion, even in a situation that could only be described as gossip! James 1:26 says, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” We should be cognizant of the words we speak; we all have heard the excuse “oh they shouldn’t let that bother them” or “they took that the wrong way”. Those statements can be a cop out to avoid the realization that maybe that is an area of our life we haven’t yet let Christ control. Romans 12:2 tell us to “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This renewal should include, as Psalm 34:13 advises, “to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” Proverbs 10:19 says “… he who holds his tongue is wise” This, of course, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t correct or rebuke when a brother or sister is in open sin – we are exhorted to do that in many areas of Scripture, but we are to be careful in not expressing anything that may either put someone down or make them feel unworthy. Favoritism is also condemned in Scripture, and showing favoritism verbally is something we can be sure God does not look favorably on. Let’s commit to, as we move forward toward the goal of “nevertheless not I, but Christ”, choosing our words carefully and not even taking the chance of offending our brother or sister in the Lord. Remembering Christ’s words ” As you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me”…

Rev. Larry Sassmann

Another Easter has come and gone.  It was a time of reflecting on Jesus’ Resurrection and what it means to each of us, and to the world in general.  But the whole purpose of Easter is missed if, after the holiday, its message has gone the way of the Easter bunny!  For the message of Easter is no passing fad, but a life-changing world-transforming reality.  Easter means the transformation of the human body of the dead Jesus to the glorified body of the risen Christ.  For all who die in Christ, it is the same.  Our dead bodies will be transformed into living, glorified bodies at the return of Christ.  Easter represents a valid past event which calls for faith—the promise of divine intervention in a messed-up world—which offers hope—and the demanding of a new communal relationship—which provides love. So Easter is the faith, hope, and love of the Christian reality.  As such it is highly relevant today.  Indeed, nothing is more relevant than the reality of Christ’s Resurrection.  When it is received by faith, it becomes a present reality of joy, peace, and power.  It raises us above the mundane problems of earthly existence, not by taking us around them, but by giving us a new power to overcome them.  We are not to ignore this present world and concentrate on the next; we are to face the world and change it!  The Spirit-filled Spirit-empowered Christians are the Church of the Resurrection and have been given the power to conquer and rebuild.  Don’t be conquered by the world and its attractions or its assaults, but be a conqueror by the mighty power of the Resurrection life in you!

REV. DR. RICHARD L. SHAW PH.D., PASTOR