perseverance – Your Daily Encouragement

Jesus’ Return, Pt. 1

Don’t be misled. Don’t be distracted. Honor Jesus

Over and over Jesus referred to his coming Kingdom. The return of paradise. Evil will be dealt with and death will be a part of the past.

So, naturally his disciples wondered when this would take place. They asked him “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)

Jesus gives them 9 areas to watch for, signaling his return. I can’t go into complete detail on all 9 in this post, but let me touch on two areas that are salient for our time.

First, Jesus warns them “Don’t let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name claiming to be the Promised One (the Messiah).”

Every generation looks for an answer to the problems of life—a savior—a utopian ideal. Could be social, political, material or religious. And we think:

“If only we had a more equitable system of distributing wealth, then we would be at peace.”
Or, “If only we had _______________ (fill in the blank) party in power, that would change everything.”
Or, if only we had more money, then we would be happy.”
Or, “If only we had a religion everyone could agree on. Then there would be peace.”

And history has shown us that every attempt to create a utopia on our own terms has led to disappointment, chaos and death. Earthly utopias promise much, but can’t deliver. One system, in particular, has failed miserably everywhere it’s been tried.

Joseph Stalin wanted to create paradise on earth, so he imposed Marxism over Russia. To realize “the greater good,” Stalin butchered over 50 million of his own people on the altar of dialectic materialism. That is nearly 10X the number of people that Hitler murdered.

Pol Pot was motivated by Marxism in Cambodia, resulting in the annihilation of 25% of the total population of that country. Mao Zedong did the same in China and eliminating somewhere between 40-80 million of his comrades as well.

We could go down the list of every group that’s imposed Marxism, promising a paradise on earth, but in every case it’s ascendency was built on the death of millions who opposed their totalitarian leaders.

The problem with a political system is that it cannot change the human heart.

But this is what Jesus specializes in. Hope begins with him, and the promise of what is coming is life-changing.

Will finish with part 2 tomorrow.

Bill Herried is a pastor at CenterPoint Church in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren.

Image by Aristal Branson from Pixabay

What in the…?

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you” —Matthew 24:4

What is happening in our world? What is going on around the planet?

The best way to understand the big picture in world events is to see them through Jesus’ eyes.

In Matthew 24, Jesus is answering his disciple’s questions about his return and he gives them a glimpse of what is coming. This week we’ll be doing an update on Jesus’ teaching in this passage.

It is eye-opening.

Hope you can join us then, whether it’s onsite here in Tacoma, or online on our FB page or our CP YouTube Channel.

Look forward to seeing you then.

Love you,
Pastor Bill

It’s Never Too Late!

This one is for Coach Sonntag

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. —Romans 15:5

So grateful for another post featured in Christian Grandfather Magazine today.

This one is dedicated to my junior high and high school gym teacher, Jack Sonntag.

Here is the link: https://www.christiangrandfather.org/2023/12/12/its-never-too-late/

Blessings,
Pastor Bill

Bill Herried is a pastor at CenterPoint Church in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon—and he loves a good biryani.

Photo by Vincent Peters: from Pexels

Don’t Be Shy

it could be that you don’t have because you haven’t asked

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” —Matthew 7:7–8

Ever faced doubts? Ever questioned your faith? Ever asked God “What is going on??”

I don’t know a person who hasn’t.

And after the frustration passes, you may or may not even feel guilty for questioning.

But here is what I love about Jesus: Any time we have a question, Jesus tells his people to ask.

In fact, one of Jesus’ biggest supporters in the first century went through a time of darkness and doubted Jesus. His name was John, but we know him as John the Baptist.

John’s mission was to go before Jesus, preparing the way before him. John had a HUGE following. People came from everywhere around the known world to hear him, because it was clear from those who did, that there was finally (after 400 years) a prophet in Israel. He baptized people as a sign that they were turning their hearts to God in preparation for the arrival of God’s Promised One.

This Promised One had been spoken of by the prophets for thousands of years, and John told the people to get ready, because His arrival was imminent.

Then Jesus revealed himself to his people. He did miracle after miracle, showing himself to be the Promised One from God.

But, after a successful run, John ended up in prison—and he worried that he might never escape. John was in a dark place and a darker state of mind.

So, after waiting some time, John sent a message through some of his own disciples to Jesus. Here is the message:

“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” —Matthew 11:3

Ouch.

If I were Jesus, I might have been personally offended. “What do you mean, am I the Messiah? Isn’t it obvious?! Just tell John that I am!”

But I love this: Jesus doesn’t go there. He doesn’t take it personally. He says:

“Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” —Matthew 11:4-6

He tells them to relay to John what they have seen and heard. In effect Jesus is saying, “Don’t take my word for it. Tell him how lives have been changed through miraculous healings.”

And then he adds “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” To put it another way, “God’s blessings are with those who continue to follow me regardless of their life situation.”

Continuing with him is key.

But what happens next gives us greater confidence as his disciples.

Because of a dark time in his life, John (who, btw, was a powerful influencer in his time) has just questioned Jesus’ identity in front of his followers. After John’s disciples leave, Jesus honors John—despite his doubt! Jesus says:

“What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? (the rhetorical answer is “No”) Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet…I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” —Matthew 11:7,9,11

John had hoped that the Messiah would deliver him from prison and when it didn’t happen, he doubted. He questioned. But despite John’s doubt, Jesus loved and honored him in front of others.

Like most of us, John had a plan for what Jesus should do in his life; but Jesus has his own plan. And his plans have a much bigger arc than ours.

Here is the truth for each of us: Jesus knows your doubts. He knows the questions that plague our hearts. He knows our weaknesses. He knows that we are dust. And still he is patient. Gracious. Extending lovingkindness to—especially to—those who doubt because of dark situations. He always extends hope and light.

Whatever you’re experiencing today—or whatever you’ve been going through for some time—remember this: He already knows all about it and he knows the path through the darkness.

So don’t be shy: Ask. Tell him what is on your heart and tell him what is troubling you. Here is the key: in spite of the darkness that is at work to derail your faith, continue to follow.

Trust him. Follow Him. And whatever you do, don’t be afraid to ask “Jesus, what’s up?” He loves to answer the prayers of his people.

“Blessed are those who don’t fall away because of me.”

Love you,
Pastor Bill

Image by Iris from Pixabay

CGM: It’s The Little Things

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ —Matthew 25:21

Frustrated that plans aren’t moving forward? Hoping for a big break through?

Don’t give up.

Whatever you’re doing, it’s important to continue to make progress—even if it seems “little.”

And a BIG Thank you to CGM for hosting another post from my blog and continuing to do “The little things”—every day.

Here is the link to Your Daily Encouragement.

Have a great time of worship this weekend!
Pastor Bill

Make It Count

don’t miss the opportunity

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. —Romans 8:37

Every second you spend wishing God would take away a struggle is a forfeited opportunity to overcome. —Steven Furtick

God has placed you in this generation with gifts and a pre-determined purpose. Know him and walk with him, and you will know your purpose.

Now live out that purpose.

Image by Iliya Kolodeznyy from Pixabay

Never Give Up

Never, ever, ever give up

Imagine your home town was bombed by a foreign power every night for 8 months. This is what happened to London between 1940 and 1941. The air sirens went off nightly as Nazi Germany rained down death from the sky.

And because the Nazi war machine had taken areas of Europe with such speed, many feared that Great Britain would be next. Since the bombings were centered in urban centers, about 1.5 million people (mostly children) were relocated to areas in the countryside where they would be away from the bombing.

It was during these difficult times that Winston Churchill was asked to speak words of encouragement to the students and faculty at the school he had attended as a child, Harrow School. Churchill gave his listeners this encouragement:

“But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this…period of ten months, this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never give in
Winston Churchill

Churchill gave every encouragement to his people without knowing the final outcome of WW2. He encouraged them to persevere, despite the vicious opposition of the enemy. And they did.

In the same way, Jesus and his disciples encourage us to persevere—to never give in. Jesus’ disciples encourage their generation because they knew the ultimate outcome of history—that history is His story. They knew that Jesus would return as King of kings and Lord of lords.

And here is what motivated them to never give in: despite what we see around us in this world, God’s purposes will prevail. Their confidence came from Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And because Jesus has conquered death he now invites us into life. No wonder Paul the apostle, one of the leaders of the early church movement, wrote:

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.
These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. —2 Corinthians 4:16–18 Msg

So, we’re not giving up. How could we!

Let me break this down: Followers of Jesus have far more to look forward to than mere encouragement. Paul says, “We will never give up!” Why? He says, “Even though we know that on the outside our bodies aren’t what they used to be, on the inside God is renewing us every day!”

“And,” he continues, “the difficult times we face now are nothing—zero—small potatoes—nada—compared to what he has prepared for us in the future. There is far more here than meets the eye.”

“Here is the way it is: the things we can see and are so attracted to, will be gone in a short time. But the things we can’t see—those are most important. Those are eternal.”

The things we can’t see now will last forever

So, never give up on Christ. Never turn away. Never throw in the towel. Never, ever, ever give in. His promises are true and he will keep his word. Far more than good vibes or nice thoughts, following Christ is where life begins.

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

You Are Blessed, Pt. 9

The Counter-intuitive Kingdom of God.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. —Matthew 5:10

Today is my final post on our The Chosen 2 Series. Season 2 of The Chosen TV series followed the theme of Jesus’ “Blessing Statements” and, in my teaching series at CenterPoint, we’ve followed that sequence this fall—in both our messages and our small groups.

Let me give you a quick snapshot of where we’ve been in these You Are Blessed series posts.

Jesus’ “Blessing Statements” (commonly called “The Beatitudes”) point out the blessings his followers have, but may not yet realize. For example, Jesus says, “God blesses those who mourn.”

What? Why would God’s blessings be on those who go through difficulties? Jesus tells us that we can be grateful for our situation because a time is coming when we will be comforted by God Himself.

So, in all deepest longings you experience in this life, you will ultimately experience God’s favor in the Kingdom to come: whether it is the realization that you’re not alone—that God is real and he is involved in your life, to the hope that every wrong will, one day, be made right.

Jesus tells his followers that this reality is on its way—every hope will be realized in his Kingdom. The prophets described the Kingdom as God’s glory covering the world the way the water covers the seas. It is then that Paradise will be restored.

And this is key: Jesus’ teaching begins with the assumption that what we see around us in this world is not the way it is supposed to be. We live in a broken world—a world that is at odds with God.

Jesus’ teaching begins with the assumption that what we see around us in this world is not the way it is supposed to be.

The reason our world is such a mess is that the god of this world, Satan, is at work controlling and manipulating the values and influencers in our world. His goal is to set you at odds with God and with others.

So, when Jesus gets to this final blessing statement , he gives us perspective: following him won’t be an easy road. There will be persecution.

And this seems counter-intuitive.

Intuition tells us, “When I’m good with God, everything will get better—right?” And yet Jesus says otherwise. He says we will face persecution.

But how can that be? Here are the questions that come to my mind out of Jesus’ blessing statements:

Who would persecute people who realize their need for God?
Why would people who are humble be persecuted?
Who would oppose and persecute those who are peace-makers, pure in heart and merciful?

Great questions. Yet we see persecution against followers of Christ throughout the centuries and around the world today. Why is this? It is for the same reason that Jesus was persecuted and put to death. Because the god of this world, Satan, hates and opposes anything God does through his people.

Jesus said:
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. —Matthew 5:10

God’s blessings are on those who are persecuted for “doing what is right.” The reason these persecuted are blessed is because they will own/participate in the Kingdom of Heaven. Eternity. The Presence of God. Paradise.

Then Jesus expands on the blessing of persecution by saying,
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.” (5:11)

Ahh! So here we have it: the persecution comes not because believers are doing good things—the persecution (the lies, the mocking, and having all kinds of evils said about them) comes because they belong to Jesus.

Persecution comes with following Christ! Following Christ is the problem for the powers that animate our world system.

I’ll break-down this “world-system” idea in my message at CenterPoint this Sunday (11/27/22), but if you’ve ever wondered why you might feel awkward bringing Jesus’ words into a discussion outside of other believers, it’s simply this: You are in enemy territory.

When you invoke the words of the rightful King over this highjacked kingdom, you will get immediate pushback. Maybe you’ve experienced something like this at school or in a business setting? You bring something up about Jesus and someone takes offense?

“Why the emotional response?” you wonder. It is because there is more than just opinions involved. There is a spiritual dimension to everything we do.

So, Jesus says that when you are mocked, persecuted and lied about; when people say all sorts of evil things about you—specifically because you are his followers—here is how he says to respond:

Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. —Matthew 5:12

“Be happy … being lied about? Mocked?” Yep. And here is why:

As amazing as this life is, there is more to life than this life. Something better is coming. One day every wrong will be made right. Evil will be dealt with. God’s Kingdom will rule over all and death itself will be done away with.

So, whatever comes your way—hardship, unfair treatment, cheap shots, persecution, slander, defamation, whatever—remember: you are blessed.

When you feel you don’t fit in; when you’re doing your best to please Christ himself, and you get pushback, setbacks, attacks—count it as pure joy. Be happy about it! Be very glad!

Look forward with great anticipation, for a great reward awaits you in heaven.

You are blessed.

Bill Herried is a pastor in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon—and he loves a good biryani.

Photo courtesy of The Chosen

It’s The Little Things

One step at a time

I love days when everything falls into place. Plans coming together. Teams knocking it outta the park. Celebrations for accomplishments.

Beautiful.

But those days don’t happen every day.

What do we do on those days when nothing comes together? If we only move forward on good days, very little will get done.

The key to moving forward isn’t only for the days when everything works the way it should. If you want to move forward, it will take small steps every day.

It’s the little things.

Small, seemingly insignificant steps are the key. Making that phone call. Sending that reminder text. Cleaning up that mess that others ignore.

It’s the little things. Every day.

It’s easy to overestimate what we can do in a week, and underestimate what we can do in a year.

Be patient. One step at a time.

So, on those days when things aren’t working out, or when you feel what you’re doing isn’t making a difference, don’t stop.

Just take the next right step. Every day.

Remember, it’s the little things.

What is your “next right step” today?

Image by B Snuffleupagus from Pixabay

Never Give Up

Never, ever give up.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” —Luke 11:9-10

Why does Jesus tell us to persevere in prayer? For at least two reasons.

First, we are easily discouraged when we don’t get what we ask for initially. Perseverance builds endurance. Remember: there is more to this life than this life. God is preparing you for heaven.

Second, it is only over time that we discover who he truly is (this is how all relationships work). We discover that (thankfully!) he doesn’t give us everything we ask for. We discover that he is kind, compassionate, grace-filled, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, ever-present—that he is totally other, in other words, that he is holy. That kind of knowledge doesn’t come casually or quickly.

So continue to ask. Keep seeking. Never stop knocking.

Jesus tells us that everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. Everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

This is the reward he promises to those who never give up.

Image by Anja-#pray for ukraine# #helping hands# stop the war from Pixabay