A woman praises and Judas hazes

What a great week at Torch! 66 people squeezed into our Receptional hall for an full morning of new exciting ministry opportunities, powerful worship, a Biblical message, sharing the Lord's Supper together, and then capped off with a beautiful special music moment. It's amazing that we fit it all in to an hour! Except that we didn't, we went about and hour and a half. :) But I think everyone would agree that it was worth it.

The encouragement this week from John 12:1-11 as we discuss Mary annointing Jesus from the oil in her alabaster jar is 2 fold:
First, be like Mary. Let your praise of Jesus be full and complete. What is beautiful about Mary's act is that her praise and value of Jesus is equal to His glory. She is willing to sacrifice and serve Jesus with everything she has, giving Him her absolute best for the simple reason that she believes He is worth it! And she believes this because that is how He how loved her. Her actions are a reaction to His abundant life and love. Does your service to Jesus look like Mary's?

Second, don't be like Judas. He masks his selfish motives behind the curtain of altruistic ministry to the poor. But Jesus isn't fooled. And his sin will only get worse as this story precludes his betrayal. Don't play with sin. Celebrate others successes without jealousy. And trust other Christians. That's what love does, it trusts.

So, who are you living more like? Does your service to Jesus look more like Mary's or Judas'?

Lazarus, Come Forth

This week's sermon was a wonderful and encouraging account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave. Jesus claims to have brought life in John 10, then in John 11, He claims to be life. But He isn't just full of empty words. Then He demonstrates His power and calls Lazarus forth from the dead. That's my Jesus! Steve Cable shared an arousing thought with me after the service as well. Do you know why Jesus had to say "Lazarus, come forth"? Because if He wouldn't have said Lazarus, every tomb in that cemetary would've come to life! Think about that. He is powerful. 

And His purpose is to show us Himself and His glory. Yes, He could've come a few days earlier and healed Lazarus from sickness before he ever died. It would've saved Lazarus extreme pain and his sisters their extreme grief. But Jesus' purpose isn't to spare us suffering, but rather to bring us more of Himself. And so in His deep love for them, He let's them mourn. Then He weeps with them. Then He does something far more miraculous than merely healing an illness. And that's what He wants to accomplish in your life too.

This Sunday's message will be on the woman anointing Jesus from her Alabaster Box from John 12. Jesus proclaimed He is the Life in ch 10. He then demonstrated He is the life in ch 11. He is now beginning to be prepared for burial in ch 12. Join us as we worship together and share in the Lord's Supper together this Sunday morning!

See ya at Torch,
BJ Sanders

Man Born Blind

Have you ever tried walking around your house with your eyes closed? I mean, just try it. For 10 minutes, just close your eyes. Or if you aren't disciplined enough, then blindfold yourself and challenge yourself to place your self into the world of a blind person for a while. It's hard. It's genuinely very difficult. Chances are, by the time your finished, you'll have a few new bruises and a little more humility from the the experience. Yet, when Jesus encounters a man born blind from birth in John 9, he doesn't immediately heal him. Think about it. He requires the guy to go off and find the pool of Siloam with mud all over his face. Indeed, following Christ can sometimes be very difficult. But it is in his obedience that he is blessed with restoration, which gave him a resolve for Christ, which brought about Jesus' rescue, that concluded in the man's repentance. Yes, Jesus has power, and His power will be made known in our lives, when we too live in obedience to Him.

As difficult as it would be for us to navigate our way through life with our eyes closed, so it is with someone who does not yet know Christ. How difficult even the simple hardships in life must be without eternal vision. If you have experienced his restoration in your soul, then I too hope that like the man in John 9, you take a stand for Jesus and have the courage to tell your story. Others need to see. They are blind, and you have the answer to their spiritual darkness. Who is someone you need to share the light with today?

Speaking Truth when it's hard

I must admit that as a pastor, I do genuinely want people to like me. Maybe it's just my human nature, maybe my insecurities. But preaching a sermon like this past Sunday's message "Walk the Line" was hard. Because I know that I am speaking against the comfortable standard that we have come to accept in American Christian culture. Nominal (or Carnal) Christianity is the expectation of the day. But as I read Scripture and experience my own relationship with Christ, that style of Christianity creates frustration, disappointment, and misery. So I do encourage each of us, give Christ all you have in total surrender. Don't live with one foot in Christ and the other in the world. You cannot straddle the fence or walk the line of Christian living.

As we discussed on Sunday, the first step to a Christlike lifestyle is to overcome the sin that so easily entangles. You know the one in which I speak. That darling sin that you have continued to struggle against, but continue to fail. Share that sin with someone and begin walking the journey to recovery today.

We are facing our first hurdle with Torch. We have consistently run out of space. Yes, it's a good problem, but a problem nonetheless. Pray that we will be able to discern God's next step for Torch and in the meantime, discover creative ways to alleviate the issue.

Forgiving and being Forgiven

This week at Torch, we had a truly exceptional experience. Gabby led us in some truly Spirit-filled worship as Kris took a week to refresh. We discuss the compelling story of the Woman Caught in Adultery in John 8. It's amazing to see such anger and spite from the religious leaders countered by such love, grace, and compassion from Jesus. This woman met an angry mob, and the pain of that experience could've caused her to walk away from this with anger and resentment in her heart. But that would only lead her to become like those religious leaders. But what began from this painful experience ended with an encounter with her Creator. It took this angry mob to throw her into the arms of Christ. And that makes it worth it! So what does this all mean for us? It means that we cannot allow resentment towards those who have cause us pain to rule our lives. It means two things: First, others will sin against you in your life...forgive them. Second, you will sin against God in your life...accept His forgiveness. The more fully we realize that we are no longer condemned because of Christ, the more we desire to go and leave our life of sin! So, Christian, who do you need to forgive today?

Another exciting part of our worship this morning was the exciting announcement at the end. I had the exciting privilege to introduce 2 more young men who have received Christ into their lives over the past week. That makes 4 salvations in the past 2 weeks!! God is moving and people are encountering Christ as powerfully as the Woman Caught in Adultery!!!

Pray for Torch, pray for me.
BJ Sanders
Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

Leading my son to the Father

This Sunday morning at Torch, I was brought to a place of true worship. There was a presence in that reception hall at PeeWee's Place as God's children engaged in authentic and powerful worship. There is no question that whatever this week holds in store for me, good or bad, I am more ready to encounter this week because I met with God this morning in community with His people.

But it was the end of the worship service that I enjoyed most. Last Sunday, we concluded a Gospel message with an opportunity to receive Christ. God moved and one woman in attendance prayed to accept Christ as her Savior. But my 6 year old son, Luke, also raised his hand to receive Christ. So this past Thursday, I sat down with him and talked through the Gospel. Then I was privileged to guide my son in committing his life to Christ. There are few things more exciting as a father than introducing my son to his Heavenly Father! And I had the great honor to introduce our newest Christian at Torch Community Church to his new church family this morning. What an exceptional morning it was!!!

Pray for Torch, pray for me.
BJ Sanders

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.

My letter of Commendation for the officer who helped us get to NY

I post this because I want everyone to know there are still great people our there.

To whom it may concern:

                My name is Pastor BJ Sanders and I am writing this letter as a form of commendation for Sergeant Bryan J Cook, whose actions and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty provided my church group with great comfort, if not also preventing more tragic circumstances.

                On Sunday, December 2^nd, 2012, a group of 6 individuals from Torch Community Church were on our way to New York to volunteer in recovery efforts for the Hurricane Sandy Relief. We were around 30 miles west of Columbus, OH traveling in our Chevy Suburban on I-70 headed westbound. Around 2:00pm, I had the unfortunate privilege of being behind the wheel when our rear right tire unexpectedly blew out. After pulling onto the shoulder, we realized that not only was the tire blown, but in the explosion, it had also severed a coolant hose that passed through the wheel well. We began unpacking the stacked luggage from the back compartment and placing it in the grass in order to find the spare tire and jack.

                The entire time, safety was a major concern. There was little shoulder room for a large vehicle like ours, especially with the right side having to be jacked up. Tractor trailer trucks flew by us causing gusts of wind that made us all very uneasy. We had one 15 year old boy who we asked to stand well off the road in case something happened.

                Around only 5 minutes into our situation, we were pleased to see a police car pull up behind us and turn on his lights. Sergeant Cook stepped out and observed our situation. He offered some guidance. He then proceeded to set up flares behind his car for our safety. He advised us on where we could find a repair shop to look at the severed coolant hose. Then, as we continued struggling with the jack, he intervened and was able to quickly assist us in jacking the vehicle up in order to remove the blown tire. He was gracious, kind, and comforting to have there. Only as some of the other men continued to put the spare on did I hear the rest of Sergeant Cook’s story, which further impressed me. He did all this off duty! He was driving east on I-70 on his way home to the Cincinnati area (where we also are from). He saw our vehicle on the side of the road going the other direction, and without hesitation, he u-turned to come to our aid. This confirms for me that Sergeant Cook is truly passionate for the public safety of the people of Ohio. This is very encouraging for me as a citizen. The group of 6 individuals owes Sergeant Cook a great deal of gratitude for his actions. Because of his willingness to help, we were able to quickly and SAFELY get back on the road. We made it in to New York that night and experienced an incredible week paying it forward as we helped those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

                Sergeant Cook deserves due recognition for his actions, and he deserves my deepest heartfelt Thank You.

Pastor BJ Sanders

Torch Community