Planted in Death Raised in Life

   

Listen as Pastor Rick gently shepherds our hearts through the grief of losing one of our own.  Mama V you are missed!

BAPTISM

Listen as Pastor Rick teaches about Baptism in advance of our baptism service scheduled for next Sunday!  We hope you can join us!

Easter Sunday - 2017

 

Easter Sunday at Water of Life Fellowship is always special.  It is impossible to capture in a recording or even in pictures. You will have to be sure to join us sometime! Maybe next year?  Plan to join us if you can! Here is a snippet from the day:

    Isn’t it spectacular to realize the rejoicing of their hearts that day?  You have heard echoes of that same rejoicing still ringing in our hearts over two thousand years later!  It is the song of the redeemed!  “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (Matthew 4:16).”  Jesus is the light of the world and He shattered the darkness of sin, death, and despair that wonderful Easter morning so long ago.  He shattered it forever!  “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).”
    Jesus came, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).”
    “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men (John 1:3-4).”
    “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”
    “…ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9).”
    Is your heart bound in darkness today?  You can be set free by His light! Is your life captive to despair?  You can discover His Joy!  Is death fearsome to you?  You need no longer fear.  He has conquered death too!  This is why we no longer sit in darkness but rejoice in the light!  “…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).”  This is the Gospel – the Good News – of the Cross and the Resurrection: that we can leave the darkness and walk in the light with Him.  Today, we celebrate His Light and Life!  He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
 

The Kingdom Coming

You see, without His ark of safety, none of us can escape the flood.  Without His shepherding and shielding, none of us can escape the city of sin.  Without the cross, none of us can be saved.  Without the resurrection, none of us can have eternal life.  So run to Him today.  If you don’t know Him personally – if you have not been born again through the power of His grace – please surrender to His pleading and get aboard the ark of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Confess your sins and surrender to His Lordship.  If you are saved today and you have turned your back on the city of sin, then join me in calling out to the lost and dying all around us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  We have no time to lose.
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

Lessons from Lazarus

Some might think it strange that this miracle – probably the most powerful testament of the Christ and one of the strongest anchor points for faith in His own soon-coming resurrection – was excluded from those other narratives.  However, a reasonable case has been made by scholars that Lazarus was still alive during the writing of the other Gospels and the writers did not want to stir up the Jews against him afresh; but by the time John writes, it is believed that Lazarus had passed away (for the second time) and was no longer in any danger by the telling of the story.  We should also keep in mind that John writes his entire Gospel with the intent that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. He tells us this intent for his book in Chapter 20:31 – “31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  This story of Lazarus is one of his anchoring arguments for that purpose.

We don’t know when this event happened, but it is reasonably believed to be close to the time of Passover at which time Jesus will be crucified.  Let us turn to the story now.  Today, I will read and expound as we go.

 Thanks to the Lumo Project & FreeBibleImages.org for this image!

HOPE - Reflections on 9-11

"On this 15^th anniversary of 9-11, I reflect on the facts of sin and death that we observe all around us.  I think of a sovereign just God Who balances all things in the end, and out of His great love provided Himself as a Savior for us all.  This on 9-11 brings me peace and calls me to share the message of hope."

Face to Face with God

Listen as Pastor Rick shares a very burdened message about the certainty of death and the judgment.  He also shares the positive part of this message.  We pray that you will find both conviction and encouragement in this message.

When I stand face to face with God whether I am ushered into his presence from I-64 or elsewhere, I want to know that I will not stand before Him clothed in the rags of my own righteousness or naked from the lack thereof but instead fully clothed in the wedding garment of the righteousness of the Son of God Himself.  I want to know that the books are empty of my sinfulness and full of the righteousness of Christ in me – the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)!

HEAVEN!

Listen as Pastor Rick turns our hearts heavenward to remember we are headed toward Heaven!

"...for us, Heaven awaits!  Heaven: that spectacular place prepared for us by the Master Creator Himself who loves us and who gave himself for us.  It is his certain promise and our certain hope.  Let us therefore run this race with patience and persistence looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  “For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.”