“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more…”   

As we again take time to recognize and celebrate this Day of American Independence, I wanted to take a moment to stir some thoughts about freedom.  In particular, I want to get those of you who claim to follow Jesus Christ to take stock of the reasons why you value freedom.

In recent days, Christian activism has become the rage in our country as many Christians who, concerned with what appears to be a steady erosion of our Nation’s values and freedoms, are letting their voice be heard.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Like many of you, I love our Nation and what it has long represented in the history of mankind.  In fact, I have felt so strongly about what our Nation represents that I gave 24 years of my life actively serving and defending the values and freedoms of our Country, both as an enlisted member of the U.S. Army, and as an Officer.  I honestly believe that the United States has been a gift of God not just to the people of this nation, but to the world as a whole.  Like you, I am also concerned about the direction we are now heading.  Yet, as I watch what is happening today - the growing desire that Christians have to preserve our traditional values and freedoms- I must ask what the real motivation is?  Why do Christians want to maintain the freedoms that this Nation has long provided?  For what purpose will they use them?  

I fear that the freedom that many Christians are moblizing and fighting for, is really about what it brings to their lives personally and materially.  For example, if honest, many would admit that they are fighting to maintain the American way of life because they want to ensure that they and their children can continue to enjoy the ”American Dream.”   But, what is the “American Dream” they’re fighting for?   For most, it’s the ability to live successful lives personally and professionally - to have a good job, to raise a family in a nice neighborhood, to earn a decent salary, to own a nice home, to have things in their homes and in their lives that bring pleasure (i.e., cars, TV, stereo, video games, Blue-Ray player, etc.), to ensure that their kids have the ability to attend a good school or University, and then for their children to be able to pursue the same things for their lives and for their childrens’ lives.  Some will also add that they want to preserve the freedom to attend a good Church without being hassled by the Government or anyone else. 

Now please don’t misread what I am about to say, I am not against material things, nor am I against careers, career success, recreation, educational opportunities, or any of these things.  But, if these are the reasons you are fighting to preserve the traditions, values, and freedoms long associated with America, I would challenge you to think about whether these motives are truly aligned with God’s heart for you as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.  Why do I say this?  Because these are things that are about, and important to your life - but not necessaily about God or important to His eternal plans and purposes that He wants to work out in your life and this world.  

Let me ask you - why is it that God established this Nation and so richly blessed it?  Is it just so that you and your children could be blessed by having things in this life?  Again, I am not suggesting that God is opposed to any of these things in moderation and in proper perspective, but an objective reading of the Bible clearly indicates that God has greater things in mind for this world and for your life as His child.  Freedom is a blessing from God, but it is a blessing given so that we might use it to further His purposes - not just to bring satisfaction and contentment to our own lives!  I must be honest with you, I enjoy my TV, video games, and the home in which I live, but I must also admit that I realize that these are valueless things in light of God’s eternal plans and purposes for my life and for this world.  They are just “THINGS” - things that I can use and enjoy - but ”THINGS” none-the-less.  Like you, I too am concerned about the direction our country is heading and the erosion of freedoms that seem to be accompanying this move.  Like you, I want this Nation to continue to enjoy the freedoms of Democracy, but I want it not to futher my own comfort and pleasure, but ultimately to enhance the work I can do in a free envioronment for the Lord.

What are you doing with the freedoms you have as a citizen of this great Nation?  If you’re using your freedom to serve and advance yourself in this life, you are squandering the freedoms you’ve been given by God.  Don’t waste freedom - it’s a precious gift of God to be used to advance His purposes and plans, not your own.   Fight for freedom - but fight for it for the right reasons!

You see, when my Mom was 91 she made a decision to personally place her faith in Jesus Christ as her only Lord and Savior!  By all statistical standards this was an even more amazing thing - a greater defiance of the odds.  Why?  Because statisticians tell that the older we get, the less likely we are to accept Christ.  If you think about it, this makes sense.  As we age, our tendency is to become more rigid and ingrained in the things that are most familiar to us.  Therefore, if we grow up with a particular religious belief system, the older we get, the less likely we are to make a change to this system because this is what we have grown accustomed to.  But praise God - my Mom defied the odds.  She was willing to reject many of the false religious teachings and rituals that she had grown up with in favor of something that she came to realize to be true.  At the age of 91 my Mom began to understand the truth stated so clearly in John 14:6 where Jesus says:  “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

You see, this was a major concession for my Mom because, like so many other people, she grew up beleiving in a religious system where she, not Jesus, was the determining factor in her right standing before God.  What do I mean?  Just this - like many people, Mom lived a system of religion in which she believed that ultimately her salvation would be based upon the quantity and quality of good works that she did throughout her life, and upon the religious duties and rituals which she kept.  The problem with such a system is that although it might seem reasonable to us, it’s not something that God supports in His Word (in the Bible)! 

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a gift offered to us by God Himself, and not something that we can ever acheieve by any level of good works or religious effort.  The Bible plainly tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9:    “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  The Bible also goes on to clearly tells us that the gift of God that can ultimately save us (the only thing that can save us) is Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross (i.e., His death and resurrection)!  Speaking specifically of Jesus Christ, John  1:12-13 tells us:  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” 

So you see - these Biblical truths were not at all in line with what my Mom grew up believing, but they are the truths which led to her salvation as she defied the statistical odds at the age of 91 by yielding to Christ alone as the only source of her salvation.  And she did not do this a moment too soon, because within one year after having made this commitment to Christ, my Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and as a result she has steadily been declining in her ability to think and reason clearly.  Had she waited much longer in her decision to accept Christ, the door might have closed and she would never have come to know Him and be saved.

When I hear people say to me that they are thinking about accepting Christ, but they’re not quite ready yet, I think of my Mom, and in my heart I want to beg them to accept Him now, while they’re still able.  Because as time passes, although I know that the odds can be beaten, the odds are still against them.  The longer they wait, the less likely they will be to make this change, and the greater the odds that something will happen that will close the door on them before they can ever make this most curucial decision of their lives.  

If this you, I  leave you with the Divinely inspired words of the Apostle Paul as found in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2:   “We then as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For He says:  “In an acceptavle time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”  Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  Don’t wait a minute longer, because by waiting you might find that it will be too late!

You didn’t have to know Bob  long in order to realzie what a great man of God he was.  I met Bob a number of years ago at a Pastors’ retreat, and then over the years I had the opportunity to hear him teach at various conferences and events.  There were few men that I have heard teach the Bible with the grace and authority with which Bob taught it.  I think the effective way he taught it was the result of the way he lived it in his own life.   You see, Bob was “the real deal.”  He didn’t teach things that he wasn’t personally living himself, albeit imperfectly (as he himself would be quick to admit), but living it none-the-less.   Bob loved the Lord, and out his love for Him he determined to live in a way that honored Jesus - and it was evident to everyone who knew him.

As I’ve thought about Bob’s life over the past several days, and as I listened on-line to the testimonials at his Memorial Service yesterday, one thing has been on my mind:  ”Can the same be said of me?”   When people look at my life, do they see a man who is so completely and so fully in love with Jesus that his life evidences that love?   I don’t know, I fear sometimes this is not the case.  Like many of you, I get so distracted with life in general and with my own worldly affairs that I fear that far too often I am more a reflection of myself than I am of Jesus.

There is a scripture that speaks of the transforming effect Christ should be having in the lives of those who have genuinely given their lives to Him.  It says: ^{ “}But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (The New King James Version. 1982 (2 Co 3:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson).  I can say without question that this scripture was absolutely true of Bob Chappell’s life, but is it true of my life?  I don’t know - I think it would spiritual arrogance and hypocrisy on my part to say that it is.  So, with this in mind, I am seeking the Lord daily and asking Him to make me a man like this.  A man who, when all is said and done, it can be said that he truly honored Jesus, not just with his words, but with every aspect of his life.

Thanks Bob for challenging me like this (for challenging all of us like this).  We will miss you, but the Lord is using your example to impact all of our lives, even in your death.  You have been the example for all of us as to what it means to truly follow Jesus.

We all long for that day when we will see you again, and together we we will worship our Lord Jesus.  Until then, may you enjoy the wonderful embrace of our Lord as you live in His presence.  Blessings to you my brother!

It seems like just days ago we we’re waiting patiently on everything to come together - and in God’s timing all is now in place (well - not everything - but we are now where we’re supposed to be!).   As I stood before our congregation on Sunday morning, I knew in part what Joshua must have been feeling after he and the people crossed over into the Promised Land!  But, as I stood before the flock here at CCCV, I clearly heard the Lord telling me that “now the real work begins!”  What work you ask?  The work of faithfully teaching God’s Word to those whom He chooses to send through our doors each week.  The work of faithfully declaring the whole counsel of His Word (Acts 20:27), line-by-line, verse-by-verse, so that His flock at CCCV will be equipped for the work of ministry to which He wants to call each and everyone of them.  The scriptures tell us that this is the real work of the Church (see Ephesians 4:11-12), and it’s a work that we here at CCCV have, and will continue, to set our hearts towards accomplishing.  Today, Church seems to be about so many things, yet I’m not always so sure that it’s always about what God intends it to be about.  I am a simple man, with a simple goal when it comes to Church - to see God’s people established and grounded in His Word.  I know that when this goal is attained, God’s people become very healthy spiritually, and they also become very useful to Him in regard to every work He has for them to do.  Let’s stay focused on what’s really important!

Why don’t you start your journey toward spiritual health & growth by taking time to listen in to this past Sunday’s teaching from 1 Corinthians?  And as always, we welcome you to join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30AM or on Wednesday evenings at 7PM.

Blessings in Jesus!

This passage is a beautiful description of the response of the people of Israel when God commanded Moses to establish the Tabernacle, the place where God would dwell in their midst and where they could come and worship Him.  In recent days this passage has become very real to me as I have watched the tremendous response of the people of God’s congregation here at CCCV as they too have responded to God’s command to establish our new place of worship here in Hagerstown.  It has been an awesome thing to watch our folks step forward, without any prodding on the part of our leadership, but willingly coming and making their offerings of service and resources to the Lord’s work.  Each and every day seems to be filled with more and more people showing up to do what needs to be done to make the property God has given to us into a home worthy of the worship service that will take place here in the coming months and years!

I have watched mother holding her precious child with one arm while holding a cleaning rag with the other hand, washing down fixtures in the building!  I have watched men give up free time in the evenings and on the weekends, to come and do whatever construction and maintenance tasks need to be done.  I know of women who have gathered in the building simply to pray over the facilities, asking God to bless the work that will be done there for Him when we finally occupy the facility.  And I have witnessed what seems to be an endless Army of God’s people showing up on various days to help move furniture and other items from our present facility to the new facility.   All of these people willingly bringing their various offerings to the Lord as He establishes us in this new facility - all of it an act of worship of the God that they love and serve.  How blessed I am as a Pastor to see the heart of this fellowship, and how blessed I know God must be as He sees His people respond to His leading as they have!   What an awesome work God is doing in the hearts of His people at CCCV!

Like the Children of Israel, He has taken us (a group of unknown and undeserving people) and He has called us to be His own.  Over 9 years ago He began calling us together as His local Body, and over the years since then He has continued to grow us both numerically and spiritually.  We too have been on a journey with Him (hopefully not wandering around in circles like the Children of Israel did!) but a journey none-the-less.  And now, like the Children of Israel, He has led us to the banks of a river which He has appointed for us to cross.

After ministering for 9+ years in the wonderful town of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, God has redirected our course to Hagerstown, Maryland.  He has opened a door for us to purchase a facility of our own, on the edge of Hagerstown, approximately 10 miles southwest of our current location.  It’s a place with lots of potential for expansion and growth, and it marks the beginning of a new phase of our journey with Him as His people.  In future articles I will share some of the awesome things God did that led us to this property, but for now, suffice it to say that it was clearly His hand leading us there!

But, as we face this change in direction, I cannot help but think of (and relate to) the many emotions that the Children of Israel must have felt as they stood on the bank of that river.  This change is both exciting, yet somewhat unsettling for all of us. For the last 9+ years Greencastle has been our home, and God has richly blessed us there as we’ve ministered in that community.  In many ways we’ve grown comfortable with our Church home there.  Yet, like the Children of Israel, our home isn’t some location or some building where we meet, but it’s where the Lord is, and we must always keep our eyes firmly fixed on Him, pitching our tents only where He leads us.  I like how the writer of Hebrews put it in speaking of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-10):

^8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ^9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ^10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.   (The New King James Version. 1982 , Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

You see, like Abraham, we realize that our ultimate home isn’t here on this earth.  Even though God opens doors for us to serve him in various locations and in various facilities, we realize that ultimately these are only temporary stops along the way to the true Land of Promise which He has appointed for those of us who love Him through Jesus Christ.  In many respects we’ve already entered that land spiritually when we placed our faith in Jesus, but one day we will enter it in a physical sense when God calls us to be with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom, the place where Jesus told us that there are many mansions, and the place where even now He tells us that He is preparing a place for us (see John 14:1-4)!  This is the ultimate land where God is leading those of us who have given our lives to Him.   But, in the meantime, He does lead us to places here on the earth that He has appointed for us to be, where we can worship and serve Him.  In this regard, we are excited about where God is leading us as His local Congregation!

We invite you to come join us as we follow Him!  One way you can join us is by checking in and following along as I add additional articles to my blog, and by tuning in to the Verse-by-Verse teachings found on the “Teachings” page.  But another way, is to come join us for services on Sunday and/or Wednesday evenings.  We will continue to meet at our current location at 145 East Baltimore Street, Greencastle, PA, through Sunday, February 21st.  Then we will begin services in our new facility at 12915 Pine Hill Drive, Hagerstown, MD, on Sunday, February 28th, at 10:30AM!  We hope you’ll consider visiting with us!

Blessings in Jesus!

Pastor Randy