A Long Overdue Apology

The Church has been written off by many people, and perhaps you are one of them. Maybe you grew up attending a church, but something happened along the way that caused you not to attend any more. Whatever happened may have impacted you so greatly that you decided to turn away from God, or to say you hate Him and everything to do with Him. If this describes you there is one thing all Christians need to say, so let me start: “I’m Sorry.”

Maybe church just wasn’t what you expected. Perhaps you expected to see Jesus reflected in the lives of the people—loving, caring, passionate—but instead you were greeted by a church full of hypocrisy, judgmentalism, bureaucracy, and infighting. See, the church’s goal is to reach out to all people: those who are hurt, selfish, abused, angry, and hypocritical as well as the sincere, friendly, generous, helpful, and compassionate. God doesn’t turn anyone away, because He loves all of us! However, it follows that there are moments when we have a hard time getting along. We are not perfect people, although we serve a perfect God.

In the Bible, many letters are written between the early Christians regarding the troubles they had getting along. But the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, employer and employee, male and female. Among us you are all equal.” Because Jesus suffered, was beaten and was killed before being raised from the dead three days later, all Christians share something that overshadows all else: we have been saved from hell by Jesus.

We are continually sorry for the part that we play in this messiness, but maybe it's time to give God another chance.

So we struggle to be a family, to teach one another, to be there for one another and to support each other. And there are times when we just mess it all up.

We are continually sorry for the part that we play in this messiness, but maybe it’s time to give God another chance. Maybe it’s time to come back to your local church and permit people of all different backgrounds and struggles to strengthen you, to sharpen you, to challenge you, and to humble you. But most of all, please don’t jeopardize your relationship with Jesus on account of our failures. He loves you like no one else can.

Yours truly,

“The Church”

by Pastor Stephen Valcourt. Article originally printed in the Pastor's Pen column of the Pincher Creek Echo, December 11, 2013

Remembering Our Veterans

How can you repay someone who risked their life to save yours? How can you repay someone who died so that you can live? As Christians, these are pertinent questions to ask oneself each day in regards to Jesus. The answer in that case is to accept him in our life and strive to serve him and bring glory to his name. However, this week I want to extend this thought a little further. Every year on November 11 we remember those who fought for our freedom as Canadians. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we stand for a moment of silence to remember their courage and their sacrifice. Without men and women who are willing to stand and fight for what they believe in--and for us to be able to believe as we do--we would not enjoy the same freedoms we do today.

In fact, who's to say the way that we come before God would look the same? Think about it, if those whose aim was to suppress religious freedom were never stood up to, we would not meet in church buildings and freely read God's Word (the Bible) without fear of reprisal. We would be a church of underground believers.

Make no mistake, we would still be a church, for no one can put down God's Good News of Salvation from the wrong things we have done. Things would just look different...and be more scary.

This week, remember those who gave their lives for our liberty and try to find a Veteran whom you can thank.

--Pastor Stephen Valcourt

Nothing We Can Do.

Some people may not like what I am about to say: Nothing that you can do can get you into heaven. Living a good life, helping out the poor, going to church--none of it will ensure that you will spend life after death with God. You may feel like that is quite a hopeless statement (especially coming from a pastor); however, let me explain how we can get to heaven. God is perfect and holy and we are not. No matter how hard we try, we will never be “good enough” to be with him, yet he loved us so much he provided us a way: through His Son, Jesus Christ. See, in Matthew 19:25 the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” to which Jesus responded, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Believe it or not, you or I living with God in heaven is the most impossible thing imaginable! Our hope comes in John 3:16-18:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Nothing that you can do can get you into heaven.

If you believe in Jesus, the Son of God and in his death and resurrection to save us from our misdeeds and ill-thoughts; and if you desire to spend eternity with him, you’re saved! What is impossible for us to do through good-works and being a good-person is possible in the most beautiful way: through belief in God’s saving grace!

I hope you will join us at church on Sunday,

--Pastor Stephen Valcourt

This article wasoriginally printed in the Pincher Creek Echo

Teaching Our Children About Our Faith

It seems there is a push in the western world to let our kids find their own way. The general consensus in culture today says it's bad enough that you are religious, but don't you dare burden your kids with that nonsense! What is truly disturbing is that many Christians have bought into all of this!

While you may think that you are doing your children a service by "allowing" them to find their own way, I do not think you understand the consequences of such actions. To put it simply, leaving Christ out of your children's upbringing leaves them with an empty space inside. This is the space that God designed to be filled by Him--He gave us an unquenchable desire to fill this vacuum. However, if we do not teach our children that God's Holy Spirit is what truly fills this space, our children will be very quick to try filling it with things from the world around them. Without Christ this space cannot ever be truly filled, but without Christ they will continually seek to fill it.

The Bible has a lot to say about teaching our children about God and His ways (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4, Psalm 78:3-8, Deuteronomy 6:7). However, today I would like to highlight the story of a woman named Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.

If we do not teach our children that God's Holy Spirit is what truly fills this space they will be very quick to try filling it with things from the world around them.

Hannah was barren (meaning she was unable to have children), but she desired a child with all her heart. She sought and sought after God in prayer until one day she made a promise saying, "O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head" (1 Samuel 1:10-11 ESV). Right here this woman determined that she would determine the direction of her son's life with God, and God honoured it! Hannah became pregnant with a boy named Samuel, and after he was weaned she took him to the Temple and said to Eli, the Priest: "Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:26-28).

Does this sound like leaving your child to find religion on his or her own? No! And that is not God's plan. If we truly want what is best for our children we will seek to teach them who God is. When we, as believers in Christ Jesus, have a child we stand before one another and dedicate her to God--to some extent following Hannah's example.

Do you think that we still won't have much of an effect on our children's faith, even if we do give them to God 100%? Look at the end of verse 28: "And he worshipped the LORD there." Samuel not only followed God, but became one of the most well-known prophets of God. Teach your children who God is and help them form a true relationship with Him. You'll be saving them heartache, and giving them the gift of eternity in heaven with God.

--Pastor Stephen Valcourt