IN PLAIN SIGHT
By Pastor David Gonzales
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Do you know what these three statements have in common?
- Wait 30 minutes after you eat before you swim. There isn't enough blood flowing to your limbs while your body is digesting, so you'll get cramps and drown.
- You’ll get warts if you touch a frog.
- If you swallow gum it will stay in your stomach for seven years.
These are statements that some believe to be true but are actually false. Some of us were told these things as children, and we believe them to be true to this day. If you believe any of the above statements to be true don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s so common that it has a name THE ILLUSORY TRUTH EFFECT, in case you’re curious.
In a very similar way, we come to the knowledge of God with preconceived ideas of whom God is, who He loves and who He hates. Therefore, a key component of our conversion and Christian walk is to humbly surrender our preconceived version of God. That, however, is easier said than done. Our perception of God is instilled in us by family culture, society, but most commonly by our own pride. Allowing the Holy Spirit to reshape and realign those ideas that are so deeply rooted in us can sometimes be our biggest challenge but also unquestionably necessary.
If as you read this, it is ringing true for you don’t judge yourself too harshly. You are not the only one who struggles with this, and you are not the first.
Over 2000 years ago, God (whose ways are not our ways and thoughts are not our thoughts) did the unthinkable. He left His throne in Glory, came down to a fallen world, and He wrapped Himself in flesh. The apostle John, one of Jesus’ closest friends and disciples described this miraculous occurrence in this way “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). As the apostle John looks back on his time with Jesus, he tells us that he was certain that his friend and teacher was indeed God incarnate, the promised Messiah for whom they were waiting for.
It was obvious to the crowds who followed Him, that Jesus was different from anyone they encountered before. He was known for showing love, kindness, and dignity to the disadvantaged. People noticed how He went out of His way to seek the disenfranchised. I find it so interesting that people who were nothing like Jesus really liked Jesus. I’m sure it was because when they were in His presence, they were certain that He genuinely liked them too.
While this made Him very popular with the people it did not make Him popular with the religious leaders. There are 324 individual prophesies relating to the Messiah in the Old Testament, all of which were studied and submitted to memory by all the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. These were prophesies Jesus fulfilled in every way and yet, as He walked among them, they did not recognize Him.
Jesus wasn’t at all who they expected the Messiah to be. He zeroed in on the people that were often overlooked, and He went out of His way to spend time with people no one wanted to be associated with. This was very difficult for the religious people of His time to reconcile because they had very clear preconceived ideas of who God is and most importantly whom God loves. So, their conclusion about Jesus was, we know God and God would never send a Messiah that would associate with “those” people; therefore, He does not come from God.
The pharisees had a fit when they found out Jesus went to Matthew’s house for a party. Matthew was a tax collector, and they just couldn’t wrap their minds around the fact that a man who claimed to be from God would associate Himself with such sinners. Jesus just didn’t fit their Messiah mold and because of that they were incapable of recognizing Him even as He stood right in front of them.
The entire 14th verse of John:1 reads: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).
Have you considered the possibility that those pre-conceived ideas of God which we have accumulated in our lifetime are what often blinds us from God Himself? They are often the reason we don’t recognize God’s glory in our own lives.
So, are there any preconceived perceptions of God that you need to humbly surrender? What do you see as you interreact with your family, friends, coworkers, and strangers? What do they see in you?
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David Gonzalez is an Elder and the Lead Pastor of Chandler, Arizona’s Light & Life Church. His father, Jose Gonzalez, pastored that church for over 30 years before David took the reins. |
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The Free Methodist Way Through an APEST Lens
By Topher Noyes
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I am a “pastor,” but I am not a pastor. Stated differently: I am referred to as “pastor” by virtue of my ordination and by a colloquial understanding of “a leader of a local congregation,” but I am not gifted as a pastor (or shepherd), as one who cares for and guides the people of a local congregation. My wife (also ordained) is a “pastor,” and she is a pastor. She is uniquely gifted with the innate impulse to care for and counsel others. My own giftedness manifests itself in the prophetic and teaching areas of our ministry together.
You may be familiar with the acronym APEST, and the context that I describe above will be well understood. However, for those less acquainted with the terminology, it comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:
“But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7, 11–13 NRSVue)
Here Paul makes his appeal for unity in the fledgling church at Ephesus as he describes the gift Christ has given to the church – a five-fold ministry matrix of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds (pastors), and teachers – APEST.
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A NEW WAY TO SUBMIT TRC APPORTIONMENTS |
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Beginning on November 1st, the process of receiving the Conference Apportionments via ACH Withdrawal will start with the November payment (based on the October Conference Tithe / Apportionment Report you submit). We have nine churches who completed the necessary paperwork to auto withdraw the amount submitted on the Conference Tithe / Apportionment Report. This report is to be submitted by the 10th of the every month via TRC's website. They will be the first to have their Apportionments withdrawn on November 25th.
Please review the information contained on the website below. It also has the encrypted form that allows you to provide your banking information so your church can begin in December 2022.
It is our plan to have 100% participation beginning with the January 2023 Tithe / Apportionment. That gives you November and December to provide TRC with the information necessary to auto-withdraw from your banking account.
Again, please review the link and complete the authorization form to begin your participation.
REMINDER: This is the same process used by Defined Benefits (retirement), Brotherhood Mutual, and utility companies.
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The River Conference Has a New Address |
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We moved our office to Spring, Texas. Please send all correspondence to:
The River Conference
23300 Cypresswood Drive
Spring, TX 77379
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July 24-28, 2023
Orlando, FL
REGISTRATION
Opens on January 1, 2023
for event tickets and hotel reservations
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TRC signed up to take advantage of Amazon.com's "give back" campaign. Amazon Smile is a program where you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of any purchase made on Amazon.com.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity. How to get started:
www.smile.amazon.com - find The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Lakewood, CO on the charity list, select it. Now every time you order something from Amazon, you must enter through the smile.amazon.com website, you'll see what charity you're supporting in red letters. Then start shopping. Amazon will automatically deposit donations into our checking account.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity.
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TRC DISTRICT LEADERS
ARIZONA
BOISE
COLORADO/NEW MEXICO/SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTH TEXAS
SOUTH TEXAS
SPOKANE
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Upcoming TRC Committee Meetings
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
MAC Video Conference
Thursday, November 3, 2022
MEG Video Conference
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Property Team Video Conference
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Finance Team Video Conference
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Conference Advancement Team Video Conference
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Board of Directors Video Conference
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
District Leaders Video Conference
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
GC23 Delegate Video Conference
TRC Office will be closed the week of Thanksgiving November 21-25
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Find out what is happening around the Free Methodist Church. Click below to view the respective newsletters |
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