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May 5:22 PM

That dirty "D" word

May 5:22 PM
May 5:22 PM

MAY 19, 2022

 

Lakeshore Friends—

Last Saturday was such a terrible day for Buffalo and Western NY.  Because of the acts of a clearly disturbed, racist person (against both Jewish and Black people), 10 precious lives were lost.  10 people who were created in the image of God will not come home to their families again on this earth just because of their skin color or their religious-ethnic heritage.  One of them was a family member of my good friend Pastor Bill Smith’s church in Buffalo (North Buffalo Community Church).

This is horrific!

Sadly, it didn’t take long before this incident was politicized.  I won’t even share all the ways it has/is/will be, but I’m sure you’ve heard a few of the ways by now.  In reality there is one cause of this evil act: human depravity.  When people reject God, their depravity can end up on full display.  It usually doesn’t get this bad, but it always can.

To me, more laws will not fix this— we have plenty of them in this area.  The only thing that will fix this is Jesus Christ.  When Jesus Christ enters a human's life, He transforms it.  He gives us the power to overcome sin, to love people like He does, and to be able to handle the challenges of life so we don’t explode in rage (like we’ve been talking about in our “When The Going Gets Tough” series).

Contrast this to what happened at Lakeshore a day later: 7 precious lives were baptized last Sunday and gave amazing testimonies of how God changed their lives through faith in Jesus.  From kids in elementary and middle school to adults who, through the power of God, overcame drugs, unbelief, and self-centeredness.

This is why we do all we do.  To see more people in Rochester (and everywhere through our online services) come to faith in Jesus and glorify Him with their lives, and to see fewer people live self-ruled lives apart from Him.

Let’s pray that God helps more people experience what we witnessed on Sunday at Lakeshore so that we won’t again experience what we heard about on Saturday in Buffalo. 

Warmly,
Vince

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Weekly notes from OUR Pastors

Here you'll find an archive of weekly updates from Pastor Vince and others. The Pastor's Update is meant to bring you encouragement and thoughts to ponder as you go through your week.