Weekly Newsletter 05/18/2023

Grace and peace to you all!

As we look at Scripture, at times we notice challenges more than we notice obvious and clear truths on the surface. I want to draw your attention to one such passage.

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.” (2 Pet. 2:20)

This passage was not written for the purpose of creating theological arguments and debates, but rather to serve the church. Look at this passage as an instrument in God’s hands that can help any believer.

There are two lessons that can be taken from this passage. The first lesson is the purity of the Gospel. It is dangerous to come so close to the Gospel and yet not submit to it in perseverance. The sad reality is that counterfeit Christianity often functions in this way – close enough to the Gospel to be welcomed and accepted, yet still lacking the saving and transforming power of it.

The second lesson is that the Gospel must liberate people from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:22). When a person truly believes the Gospel and puts his trust in the Lord, the truth liberates such a person (John 8:32) to be able to say no to sin.

Take time to evaluate your own understanding of the Gospel (1 Tim. 4:16). Thank God if what you believe is rooted in truth as it is presented in the Bible. This is one of the ways God will preserve you for eternity. Also, if you find yourself struggling with sin, may this passage alert you and encourage you to remember that the true believer has all the necessary power to overcome sin, and that he must do so. Pray specifically for people who are held captive by any false gospel, that they may find freedom from bondage to any half-truth and sin.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

• Thursday (6:30 PM) – Kid’s Bible School (open to all but required for parents), followed by Bible Study (Proverbs) and prayer for the whole church at 6:45 PM.
• Sunday services:
  • Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
  • Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM