Foundations For The Christian Life

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:4-16

Today's reading is from some notes I shared with a group of men at our local Rescue Mission this past Thursday.  No matter where you are in your Christian life you can benefit from these points. The fact of the matter is that when we get saved we are not always encouraged to grow in Christ. Also we can get discouraged if we do not start out on the right track.  We build our lives on and in Christ but there are times when we don't build them solid at first.  Like any building we need a strong foundation to go on if we are to live victoriously in life.  Here are three areas in which we can do this from Philippians 3:4-16.

The first area we need to focus on before going ahead is to 

REALIZE WHAT OUR VALUES ARE PLACED IN

The Apostle Paul in vs 4-7 had a long list of things he valued and boasted himself in.  He tells us if anyone could have confidence in the flesh, then I could be the most confident.  Paul lists all of his religious workings, his education and sociological upbringing, and all the things that made him a sought after man.  He concludes this by saying it was all a loss to him after he had a personal encounter with Christ.  Sometimes we place too much value on our cars, our job, our abilities, our influence and many other things.  While it is not wrong to take pride in accomplishments and so forth it is not good when God takes a back seat to them.  For Paul it was an inward struggle, but it was also and outward one too. Much the same you and I face such struggles everyday with things that compete for our attention towards God.    Paul also realizes that there is a goal set before him that he should follow after.  That goal in knowing and becoming more like Christ was so much more important now then all the other things that used to command him.   

Question:  Are there things, people, status etc that supersedes your relationship to God?  Do you give God a spare minute of your day, or do you fully devote a good portion of your day to talk to God and think about Him?

The second area, possibly the most important of the three is,

DON'T LET THE PAST STIFLE THE FUTURE 

Paul says in vs 13 that he forgets all the things which are behind him in the past so that he may reach to things God has set before him.  The past in our lives can be our worst enemy.  The Devil will constantly accuse us (Rev. 12:10) of our wicked deeds.  We can so much listen to the voices of the past and see the imagery that we forget Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.  The longer we listen to our past sins that have been forgiven the more deeper into despair we sink. Thus, the less effective we become for Christ because we have let the ineffective past hinder our productive future.  We play right into Satan's hand when we don't forget the past.  Now of course if we have unconfessed sin we cannot forget that, we need to confess that.  Once forgiven then we can forget it, because we know that God has forgotten it as well (Hebrews 10:17).  Don't let the old man chain you down and render you ineffective.  

Another area of the past that may not be as dark but still keeps us down is resting on our old victories.  Christians can be too lax in wanting to rest on our laurels of past acts of faith and works and not be productive now.  Paul stresses on an ongoing relationship with Christ that is forward in its goal.  Paul doesn't stress being comfortable and lax but always in pursuit of God and spiritual victory in vs. 14.  The most dangerous thing we can do as a Christian is NOTHING, to sit and not be effective is what the Devil wants, and what better trap than to be satisfied with ourselves to the point of being idle.  

Question:  Is there some dark stain in your past that is keeping you from serving and having joy in Christ?  Is there some spirit of being idle and content on old victories that keeps you from Christ?

The last area we need to build upon is

TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD'S WAY AS THE ONLY WAY

To some of us if not most this would seem like a no brainer thought.  However in actions we show ourselves differently.  Whenever we listen to popular talk shows or listen to an unsaved persons views on life all that begins to seep in to our souls and without proper nourishment and grounding in God's Word we begin to drift.  The Jews had a difficulty in this.  They took the law of God and added in their own laws and called them God's laws too.  We as Christians need to know that even though we say there is no other way, we need to live that there is no other way.  Any time we let God's ways be substituted for something else we lose our focus, and if long enough time passes we get discouraged and disillusioned.

Paul talks about in vs 15-16 about being perfect, or, that is to say being mature in the faith.  He talks of this because there were some who gave in to thinking there may be multiple ways to godliness.  Paul says we need to be on the same rule or mark and have the same mind, if there is anyone who thinks differently then God will reveal its fallible state to us.  God loves us too much for us to go astray without correction.  But the meat of the meaning in these verses I believe is that we walk in unity and be unified in Christ.  When are on the same page spiritually with Christ we are unified.  We have the same mind and heart of Christ, we have the same desires for the good of others, we desire to know and worship God in place of something or someone else.  What an easy thing to miss when we subtly go after something that apparently seems more attractive in the world, but ends in despair.

Question:  Is there some area of your life that is not surrendered to God's ways?  Do you think perhaps there could be an area which you feel God's ways may not be the best ways?

This week, ponder these things in your heart.  Ask yourself, "Is my foundation for living built on these principles?  Do I become easily shaken because there are some areas of life not founded on the Word of God?  To be honest, we all from time to time drift away, but that does not make it okay or acceptable.  We need to realign our thinking and our ways with God's.  If we don't we will be a miserable person and ineffective for Christ.

Thank You Lord that You have provided us instructions on how to live.  Help us to take on the example of Paul in this passage and let our life be as effective for you as it can be. In Your Name we ask, Amen.

Avoiding A Spiritual Implosion

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 2:1

It was early in the morning of March 28th 2009 that a loud series of explosions rang out through Charleston WV as the old historic Building 82 of the once widespread Union Carbide Chemical plant came crashing down. The building was a towering giant of 10+ stories and had a double jutted wing along with a penthouse atop it. The building was the home of the offices for the once largest chemical foundry in the world. After years of disuse and a gradual reclaiming project the owner's signed its death warrant. Traces of the former chemical empire such as a small train switching yard with a rust covered steam locomotive, a glass block deco style bus depot and underground passage, and chemical bunkers and huge boilers were all cleared out within a year. It was a sad day to see that magnificent giant tumble, though most people thought it "cool." I used to pass it every day going to my job. For weeks demolition crews began gutting it to an empty shell, prepping it for explosive charges that would weaken its remaining superstructure and cause it to collapse on itself...thus the term "implosion."

Well all that sentiment is fine and dandy, so what, what does it mean? To me, seeing that shell of a building fall into a cloud of dust reminds me of what can potentially happen in the Christian's life when spiritual neglect rots away at the core of our beings.

When we stray from God, His Word, fellowship, praise, etc we set the stage for degeneration in our selves that paints a disastrous picture to others, ourselves and our Savior. Can such a state really materialize in the life of a Christian? Yes it can and it does every day. However, taking heed and placing value on our spiritual state can avoid such catastrophes. Below, we will look at the stages of degeneration that leads to implosion, and we will notice that God can rebuild a life, though it is far better to keep building on the sure foundation He puts within us.

The first sign of decay comes from a lack of interest.
All of us get bored with something. Eternity and the living for it should never be one of them. When we have a lack of interest, I liken it to the large office building pictured. Gradually over the years there is a ho hum lack of necessity for going on with the daily operations of spirit filled life, i.e. Bible reading, prayer, worship, attendance. At first it looks as if we are taking a slight vacation or rest, but later on as we pay less and less attention we find out that God has ceasing became a high priority in life. The fire in the heart has steadily been lowering down to a flicker. When this happens our faith dwindles, we don't see God working and wonder if He really is in control. People we used to serve now are thought of less often, giving is down, no joy to speak of, cynicism and apathy sets in. Every point of future degradation in our lives has its roots in lack of interest.

The second sign of decay comes from the gradual laying off and shutting down spiritually vital areas.
Think of a large office building like the one pictured. In it's day all the floors were a bussle with the sounds of paperwork, conversations, running up and down the halls, deadlines to meet, the typewriters going full speed, etc. Every day the workers filled the necessary roles of a growing vital institution. Then over the years, one department gets closed, another department gets consolidated and one by one, once busy floors now turn off the lights and never see another person in action. Gradually, whole sections of the building are now shut down and only a few floors near the bottom are occupied by a skeleton staff. Sounds sad? For the Christian undergoing the process of change leading to implosion, this is precisely what happens. There would be no need for concern in the body of Christ if all the "floors" are busy and occupied. Missions department vibrant. Children's ministries vibrant, Visitation, Choir, Hospitality, all these departments slowly shutting down. When apathy sets in and disinterest reigns, things that once seemed important to you, areas of the heart, are now being closed and sectioned off.
When this happens our hearts begin to be seriously hardened. What is alive and well is selfishness. Selfishness has deemed a restructuring of your spiritual heart and the price is your witness and testimony. Pretty soon, you forget all the once busy and vibrant areas that once were true of you.

The third sign of decay is a inward rotting of once strong supports.
As areas in a building or house see no use or upkeep, they decay and lose strength. Once strong in faith, your decayed heart can no longer bear the words of Christ it used to. Oh we still love to hear of the true wonderful love of Christ (praise the Lord for that) but when conviction and repentance is preached, the load bearing supports collapse and we get bitter even hostile to the Lord and the Preacher or teacher. We no longer care what sin has done to us. We remember how we used to keep a short account with God, but now there is no resistance of sin and no strong witness for Christ. What is really happening on the inside is that we are dying. We are in the process of becoming nothing more than an imposing shell of great Christianity, with nothing inside to show, its all getting to be a facade at this stage, as one by one the infrastructure and interior comes apart.

The final stage of decay is a collapse of spiritual structure from a weight of sin and destructive charges.
When the day came for old Building 82 collapsed it did so because there was a lot of prep work to rig dynamite charges to the last remaining structural supports that held the shell of brick in place. Engineers worked to strategically place the series of charges that they knew would impact the most negatively. Once ignited, the first set of charges finished weakening what was left of the supports, then the final blast blew apart the joints and the weight of its own body collapsed on top of itself, thus implosion. The last step in our downward spiral is implosion. No our bodies don't blow themselves up, yet, if we neglect vital spiritual areas, our physical man suffers and in many cases we do DIE. However, just as bad, we live and all around us collapses. Our minds can turn so carnal that we fail to reason God's Truth from worldliness. Our hearts gets so hard that God is no longer welcome. Our inner man is so vexed that we have no light or witness in the world. Spiritual implosion is the collapse of all things spiritual in us. It is hitting rock bottom spiritually as we are in our greatest despair, our greatest guilt and anguish, and no life is seemingly in us.

Question. Is there any hope for a believer when they have traversed downward this far?

The Scripture nowhere indicates that a Christian can sin so far as to fall out of God's protective hands. As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks more of restoration than it does of the chance of being unforgivable. In fact the Apostle Paul says boldly there is no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus. The love of God is so large a sphere that we cannot find its boundaries! This does not give us license to sin. Many think that they can sin willfully and it will be okay. The mark of a true Christian is not have a open willing desire to sin at all, though he or she does. Temptations are great, and we do fall into them sometimes willingly, but a constant lifestyle of sin with no remorse or no desire to be made right with God indicates strongly that the person doesn't really have Christ in them.

So, YES there is much hope! BUT it is far better to take necessary measures to grow spiritually and avoid implosion rather than rebuild from it.

Do you feel like there is a growing degradation in your spiritual walk? Maybe you are already at the shut down stage? Maybe implosion has happened. Wherever you are in life, ask God to restore you to a right relationship with Him. He will do so, but it won't happen overnight...but it will happen.

Heavenly Father, thank You that we are not cut off from You even in the darkest hour of failures. Help us to maintain our spiritual lives before You. Our desire ought to be to please You and serve You as best we can for as long as we can. Help us Lord, we are feeble. In Your Name, Amen.

The First LIGHT of Morning

Scripture Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:12-23

When you hear the word, Resurrection, you probably are drawn to the Easter account.  When you hear the word Light, you may think its the opposite of darkness.  Lastly, when you hear the word "morning" you think of that which follows night.  All three words have in common Jesus Christ.  

Death is a tragedy no matter who is involved.  Some people die and we take little notice, while other die and we never forget.  Some people die and we cheer it and wished it came sooner, while others die and we cannot bear the thought.  The common theme is of course Death.  However, the common theme of Jesus Christ's ministry was Life and it was Light.

The tomb that sealed the body of the Lord was horribly dark.  I don't mean that in a physical sense, though it was dark, but in a spiritual sense.  It would have seemed that Satan had won his victory and that the power of darkness now surrounded the body of the One whom it feared the most.  Yet there was more darkness to be observed...a darkness of hopelessness on the part of discouraged disciples.  They had heard Jesus say that He would raise from the dead, but nobody in that dark upper room really fully believed it.  Then there was the darkness of the curse of sin.  Did Calvary do what Jesus had promised?  Did sin really have a death blow dealt it?  From Friday's events it would not seem so.  

The stage was dressed up for Night, but it was not set correctly.  The Christ was crucified and out of the religious leader's hair.  The body was put in a borrowed tomb and not only shut, but sealed with a detachment of soldiers to guard it.  The disciples were in defeat.  The High Priest was in his glory and Pilate was just glad to be done with the whole matter.  The death of Christ was most grim for those who either chose not to listen or did not understand the reassurance of the Master.  From a human standpoint, all that Jesus was and said had been vanquished.  The cries of "He saved others, but He Himself He cannot save" seem to bore in on the minds of His followers.  Total and absolute darkness of the spiritual kind and lulled in and settled like a heavy fog.  

In my mind, I scan the Upper Room and see many faces.  But look off in the corner, see the man with his head in his hands, the man who had been like this for hours.  The man who was in such despair.  This same man who hours earlier boasted amongst them all, "Lord, if all be offended in thee, I will not!"  Yet a few hours later used words he hadn't used since he met the Master by Galilee's shore, to deny all knowledge of the One whom he would not supposedly be offended at. For the disciples, the darkness hung its most heavy yoke on Peter.

Such a stage that seemed like darkness was about to roll its curtains up for Morning!

Two women, the most devout of the whole group, went early to the Garden Tomb to bring spices to anoint the dead body.  Just how they were to enter I know not, for Rome made it secure with a contingent of soldiers and the great seal of Pontius Pilate.  Yet they came.  Faithful.  Devoted.  Caring.  The scene was not what they expected.  There were no soldiers, no seal, no body!  Mary Magdalene supposed someone, perhaps the Gardner had taken the body of the Lord.  The two women in Luke's account approached the tomb and found two men clothed in white.  These divine messengers were living up to their job.  

The message:  HE IS RISEN, just as He said.  Go and tell His disciples.

All the chains of darkness.  All the supposed victories of evil.  All the shroud of ungodliness now found themselves bruised under the heel of Christ.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and its meaning to the spiritual forces of darkness is not quite understood by mortal men.  What happened that day, spelled the doom  on those who were most satisfied to have doom pronounced on God Himself.  The Apostle Paul said it best, "Oh Death where is thy sting, Oh Grave where is thy victory?" No one in the ranks of Hell could now lift up their heads, but the sentence of eternal defeat, damnation, condemnation and separation now abode and abides on them to this day.  You see when God defeats an enemy, the enemy never, never recovers.  The evil which had been long in place now was abolished.

Now for us, the mortals, the benefactors of the Resurrection.  Had there been no resurrection, evil will still have its kingdom.  Paul says if there be no resurrection, then what do, believe and have in Christ would be in vain, or simply, would not exist anywhere.  But you may think that the world is full of evil and increasing every day.  Yes, that is true.  The Lord allows evil its space only because there are those of its ranks who have never trusted Christ's finished work to save them and God is willing that none should perish and gives the condemned a chance to repent before the judgement.  During the time of grace, evil is present.  However, God never looks at our timeline as we do.  Evil to God is a forgotten foe.  Just as God already sees the believer in our glorified state, He sees evil in its ruined state.  Of course God knows that evil thrives.  After all He is coming again to finalize its destruction, but note....evil at the morning of the Resurrection is already destroyed in the eyes of God.  We left standing who have trusted in Christ are the grateful and most blessed victims of once being evil, now being redeemed, pardoned, restored and glorified.  The Resurrection of Christ in one act guarantees all of this for those who will trust in Him.  It is not enough to receive Christ death for sins, you must also receive His Resurrection too, for therein lies the power of God over your sin.  With no Resurrection there is no hope of pardon.

One more item.  The Resurrection not only guarantees the pardon of corporate sin of the whole people, but the pardon for each and every individual sin of the person.

Do you remember Peter in the Upper Room?  Wonder what must have went through his mind as he contemplated what he had done.  Judas had sold out Christ, but Peter had denied Him. However, in all of this we see the tenderness and personal attention to the heart of Christ.  You will recall that Christ had the angel in Mark 16:6-7 tell, "Go, tell my disciples, and Peter, I am risen." There was no sharp rebuke or lingering bitterness on the part of Christ.  He knew Peter was hurting the greatest of the eleven for his acts.  We see later that Christ forgave Peter and restored Him on the shore of Galilee in John 21:4-20.  He made it a point to tell Peter the Good News so that Peter himself would not languish another moment in guilt that swallowed him.  Such is the heart of Jesus Christ for you and for me.  The Resurrection shows victory to those engulfed in sin, for sin was paid for on Calvary, and new life began in Gethsemane.  

Whenever I go to a cemetery for Memorial day or some other occasion I am reminded that Christ is the victor over death.  Had he swooned or was stolen and then impersonated it would not be the same.  He shared the same grave with all those whom you see lying underneath the sod.  Christ is the firstfruits of the dead.  All those buried bodies, who in life committed their souls to the Bishop of Souls--Christ Jesus will leave their graves as He did that morning.  The graves will be opened that had not seen the light of day since the funeral home placed the dirt over them.  GLORIOUS as we shall see all those who lived, was dead, and now lives forevermore, just exactly as the Saviour, the forerunner, the pathfinder, the fiery pillar, the sea parter, the Resurrected Christ has done.  This is the hope we have in Him that none can take away, for there is none now who opposes Him because of the Resurrection.  

Simply put, Light dispels Darkness.  When Christ arose, that which held us prisoner fled for fear from the Almighty.  No darkness stands in the way of Christ's Light.

If you know Jesus Christ as you personal Lord and Saviour, for you, THE FIRST LIGHT, even Jesus Christ, lives within you and has replaced the night of sin in your hearts, with the glorious rays of Morning  and Hope.  

Praise His name for what He has done.  

Look for His soon return.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Our Loss, Heaven's Gain

Scripture Reading: Galatians 2:20


Dr. John Joseph Goff
1937-2009

We have all had at one time or another great people who have affected and many times effected the course of our life in this world. Most times this is a parent or grandparent, sometimes a friend, sometimes a mentor. When such a person passes from this life we feel a sense of emptiness that is left. This is but natural as the influence along with the person is taken from our course of life. For the Christian, this is but temporary as a Christian never sees another Christian for the last time. Yet the change of address is such a long distance from us that we feel as if a person who we say has died, has really passed beyond our reaching out to them.

However for those of us who are left in this world, we carry memories of those loved ones and they live and are still a part of us as we head towards our finish line and home.

This man, for those of you around the world, is Pastor John Goff of Chapmanville, WV. He pastored the First Baptist Church there for over 30 years, founded a Christian School, had a successful and long run Radio Broadcast, and was a friend and mentor, principal, coach, and example to those of us who knew him. I would like to direct this posting to a few reflections of this man's stay on Earth and how as a Christian, we should implement the same characteristics.
I would use the acrostic CEO to describe Pastor Goff.

The "C" stands for Commitment.
As any who knew Pastor Goff for any length of time knew that whatever he did, He was committed wholeheartedly to it. His first commitment was to his Lord. He always studied and never have you seen a more worn out Bible than his. I had seen it many times and wondered how it could be read with all the notes and markings in it. But you see it is a relationship with he and the Lord and it was all crystal clear. Every day at school when there were no papers to grade or whatever, the Bible would be open and studied, whenever he went home it was the same. In preaching he committed himself fully to understanding and relating the Gospel to his congregation. There was no "foolishness" as he often remarked to be had in the pulpit. The preaching and reading of the Word of God was serious business as it ought to be. I believe Pastor Goff was one of the few individuals who really knew and understood the reverence and serious nature of God to be had by all who follow the Lord. Pastor's radio program was called, "A Time For Truth." The truth of the Scripture was so important to Him as it should be us all, but I reckon even more important was that Truth be told to those who knew and did not know the Risen Lord. The Gospel that is committed to our charge, as Paul reminded Timothy, was to be passed on to faithful men also ( 2 Tim. 2:2 ). Many people who heard the Truth and heeded it have been blessed. Those who heard the Truth and did not heed it will be held accountable. Though in all of this, it was the commitment of the heart and love towards people that pushed him onward to tell a needy world that Jesus loved them and that Christ would forgive them of sin and come into their hearts and change their lives. Though Pastor Goff was committed in Sports immensely, to his loving wife and family faithfully, in service works just as well, this desire for knowing Jesus Christ and telling others about what they can have in Him is the whole commitment of John Goff for his Lord and for his people.

Question 1. "How much of my life is committed to Jesus Christ and the service He enables us to do?"

The Second letter "E" stands for Example.
A Christian person can talk a good talk, but it is the life and the works of faith which paint the true picture. Pastor Goff had his faults and his short comings as any fallible man or woman living in the world does. However, we strive to allow the witness of God live through us to show other men and women that in Whom we believe and serve is genuine. I mentioned Pastor Goff founded a school. I am a graduate of the school. I benefit today from his example as my principal and teacher. There is something to say here. That is many kids who went to school with me were afraid of him. The man was a giant and extremely strong, yet never once that I can remember was I afraid of him. I had no reason to be because he was not a cruel or angry sort bent on others harm. I knew by observing that he had impeccable character and that he was there for our good. He was very stern but fair. I think this example he left that a man can be both stern and fair without losing his temper or becoming ungodly in any fashion is one of the greatest remembrances I have of him. As long as I knew him there was never any double side to him. Likewise there is never any double side to our Lord. We dare not compare ourselves to the full character of Christ, for none of us here can attain fully to it, but we can strive to show it to others. I remember as a basketball coach he gave us the example of discipline and the value of practicing the right methods. Pastor always said something I will never forget, "How in the gym you practice is how you will play against another team in the game." How true. That is great advice for ball playing, but its better advice for the Christian life. How we live our lives everyday, according to God's Word or not, defines how we weather the tests of life. Do we crumble under pressure or do we praise God for His faithfulness? Do we curse God when things are not going our way, or do we praise Him in the good and bad times? Do we say we love God on Sunday and show it during the week towards the public? All these questions can be answered by the correct example of practice by following closely day by day example with Christ as Pastor Goff did. Whatever he did people looked to him, his church, his school, his contemporaries. People watch our example in the world. They may look at us, but what they are looking for is Christ and does His example show forth in us.

Question 2. "Does our life show a clear example of Christlikeness to anyone at anytime?"

The third and final letter is "O" for Opportunity.
We all have opportunities in life. Some we take others we don't. Pastor Goff's opportunities came in many forms. Though we have talked about his school, his sports and his ministries, let's look at one other area, his people. What do I mean? Every person in life who is a true follower of Christ will always cross the paths and make or not make an impact and have a hand in shaping these destinies of different lives. It is always self evident to know a person has had great influence when that person's funeral is more than well attended. But it is more self evident when we see lives changed before us and hear the testimonies of them retell how the now deceased so impacted them and they can point to a practical way in which that involvement is having today. At my own Grandpa's funeral, one man stood up and said that "I am a better man for knowing Mr. Pierson." So we who knew Pastor can utter the same. When we wake up and see opportunities in the form of lives before us, then we begin to see with the eyes of the Master. Wherever Jesus walked He encountered someone that He cared for and cared enough to help. Many times the disciples wanted the Lord to judge the people around them. Jesus told them plainly that the Son of Man is come to seek and to save the lost. This same mission is Opportunity #1. We cannot save anyone of ourselves, but we can so involve ourselves to show others that this same Jesus is more than worth knowing.
At Pastor Goff's funeral, his wife, also as committed and an example as her husband, told me that the Pastor kept a prayer book of all the student's names. Pastor Goff found prayer as an opportunity to stay involved with a student's life that maybe across the world or around the corner. Another opportunity of involvement was one on one help. Many times, while riding in his car on the way to a ball game everyone would talk about sports. I would some, but I was not good at sports even though I played. Many times though he would share with me about the Lord in a one on one fashion.
One last opportunity among many to mention was the opportunity he valued to see the Savior.
In life or in his death, he valued to see Christ. Paul said that to die was gain ( Philippians 1:21 ). The Apostle John said in all of his writings that he desired to see Christ. A relationship with Christ is an everyday expectation to see the One we love and Who loved us. There would be no relationship with anyone anywhere if the separated parties had no desire to see each other face to face someday, but rather was satisfied with verbal communication only. Pastor Goff was ready to seize his opportunity to see the One who loved us all. One of the most beloved verses in the Scripture is found in John 13:1 where Jesus loved His disciples to the End. Christ loved them to the end point when He would leave them in the world, and He loves each of us right up to and beyond the point when the end comes for our stay in the world. At such times the faith will be sight and the Joy sat before us will be in our experiential presence of everlasting sight. This opportunity would not be possible had Pastor Goff not received the crucified Lord in his heart.

Question 3. "Does the opportunities of service and relationship with Jesus Christ interest you?"

In conclusion, I cannot say enough about this man. There is so much more. However, in all things Christ is to be magnified over a man. This is the heart's desire of John Goff and the desire of all who serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. John the Baptist said it best, "He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease." We miss our friend and Pastor. Right now all we have left is a picture, but one day, very soon Lord willing, we will have the person again. This is a victory and a promise of Jesus Christ to His church. Better than that as Pastor Goff would testify, all of us who have Christ shall always be with the Lord!

Heavenly Father, thank you for faithful servants. Thank You that you are the pattern for our lives. May we always glorify you and edify one another as Pastor Goff did. Thank You for loving us and helping us to love one another. May we be committed to You always as You are always committed to us. In Your Name, Amen.