The Thursday Update

AUGUST 31, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When you hear the word “gospel”, what do you think of?  Lots of people have no really clear or accurate answer.

Some think it’s a part of a formal, liturgical church service.  Some thinks it’s a genre of music.  Some think it’s limited to the title of some books in the beginning of the New Testament.  Some think it’s just a religious word with no practical meaning for their lives.  The truth is that the gospel is so much more than any of these limiting ideas.

So what is the gospel?  Why is it as important as anything imaginable?  Why is it important to understand what it is?  Why is it important that we learn how to communicate it and how to live it?

That’s what we’ll be looking at in a new series starting on Sunday called, Why We Call It Good News.  I’m going to provide answers to these questions and so much more.  I think this is an important series for those of us who really want to take our faith seriously, and that’s because everything about the gospel is serious business.  Nothing can alter the eternal destiny of life than the proper grasp of the gospel.

So if you want to understand the gospel, I hope you’ll be here on Sunday as we celebrate Labor Day weekend and start the wind down of summer.

Warmly,
Vince

AUGUST 24, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.

Those 9 fruit of the Spirit are indicators of how much God is at work in our lives.  That’s been the consistent message throughout this series because they are the fruit (i.e. the product) of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, and not the fruit of our human efforts.  We really cannot produce these fruit without the Holy Spirit at work in us. 

One person asked one of our pastors if a person can produce these 9 fruit on their own without the Holy Spirit.  The answer is that, while people who have not placed their faith in Jesus (and hence do not have the Holy Spirit in their lives) can be somewhat loving, can be somewhat joyful etc., they cannot completely love with a motive that glorifies God, they cannot be fully joyful without the ultimate source of all joy, Jesus, etc.  Instead, they will do so with mixed motives that are focused on how it helps them or makes them feel.  Afterall, they are the fruit of (or, from) the Holy Spirit, not the human spirit.

So how do we apply this series once it concludes this Sunday?  Here are three tips:

1. The principle of totality

The more we see of each of them in our lives, the more God is at work in us.  Try to live out all 9, and let the ones that come easier help motivate you to work on the ones that are the hardest for you.  Don’t just settle for being good at 3 or 4 of these fruit.

2. The principle of potency

The stronger the expression of each of them we see in our lives, the more God is at work in us.  Keep working to get better and better at allowing God to let them flow out of your life with stronger and stronger expression.

3. The principle of frequency

The more consistently we see each of them in our lives, the more God is at work in us.  Never give up on showing these fruit in as many situations of life as possible.

I’m excited to see how God works in our lives to be even more fruitful in the days ahead.

Warmly,
Vince

AUGUST 17, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When you hear the words “meek” or “gentle”, what do you think of?

Do you think of a young kid having their lunch money taken away at school each day by a bully?  Do you think of a person becoming a human doormat for others to walk all over?  Do you think of someone who could never make it in this “me first” culture.  Those are just some of the pictures that may come to mind.  And that would be unfortunate.

Being meek and gentle are not only the eigth trait of the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, they are also traits that show more power than you might naturally think.  More on that on Sunday.

Living a meek and gentle life is always a better way to live than their rival counterparts: prideful and aggressive behavior.  It may not seem like it, but in the end there is a power to gentleness that exceeds any of the alternatives.  Gentleness can change situations and lives for the long haul, including our own.  And when we live this way, God keeps us from being run over and trampled on more than we would naturally think.

Are you striving to be a more gentle and meek person?  It is not natural and is not easy either.  But it is powerful and it is rewarding.

Warmly,
Vince