2^nd Timothy 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. <<The second [epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.

I really appreciate the call from S.S. this morning about the visit from the JW's. It's exciting to see how the Holy Spirit can use the scriptures we memorized in Bible Doctrines Class when we are sharing our faith in Jesus Christ. Of all the major doctrines in scripture, there lies one upon which so much is built, that being the deity of Christ. I am always amazed at the common hatred for this particular doctrine. Men feel free to call Jesus a great teacher and a prophet, but most revile at the thought of His deity. For, if Jesus is God the Son, then far more than a great teacher hung on the cross. And, since He is just as much God as God the Father is God, then His death on the cross truly can be vicarious. Philippians 2:8 becomes all the more incredible when we understand who it was who hung on the cross, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

The real reason why men stop their ears at the hearing of this great doctrine, and the reason they gnash their teeth at those who hold it so dear, is due to the convicting power in this truth and the line that it draws in the sand of humanity. John quotes Jesus responding to the Pharisee's attack in John 8:46-47, "Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." Our sinful flesh desires always to be right. We love to win every argument; our pride makes self the measuring rod of truth. Then, along comes one who is flesh and blood, but His flesh is like none other: it is sinless, pure, and incapable of sin with its accompanying sinful pride rooted in religious ritual. For it was none other than God come in the flesh. Someone whom the religious crowd could never win an argument because He was the embodiment of truth. This is why Jesus is the only one who can truthfully state in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

John chapter 8 chronicles the strongest attack the Pharisees could manage against a man they ridiculed and denounced as a demon-possessed Samaritan (verse 48). However, out of this fiery furnace would emerge the strongest, clearest, and most concise affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches the Pharisees about life and death-especially how they relate to their father, Abraham. The Jews could not understand how Jesus could speak about Abraham as if He knew him personally; as if Jesus had actually met him and conversed with him. From this dialog flows  the simplest of questions, "hast thou seen Abraham?" And, to their astonishment, Jesus answered in five simple words, "Before Abraham was, I am." Of course, any Jew would know the claim Jesus was making. He was drawing back the curtain of history and forcing the Jews to come face-to-face with the truth of the scriptures. Two thousand years prior to this event, Moses desired to know with whom he was speaking in the burning bush. "And God said unto Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM.'" Jesus Christ built a theological bridge between Old and New Testaments; He forever cemented this doctrine in all of time and eternity, and by so doing, He drove a dagger into the Pharisee's cruel blood-thirsty hearts. Jesus knew exactly what He was calling Himself- the I AM. The Jews understood that Jesus was revealing the eternal truth that Jesus and The Father are the same substance- One God . Their reaction to stone Him tells it all and lends further evidence to convict them of rejecting the deity of Jesus Christ. It has been correctly observed that Jesus is just as much Jehovah God as God is Jehovah God.

This is the crux of the theological battle that we wage. Jesus Christ is God!

1st Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Thanks to everyone who has taken a look at the new site and e-mailed congratulations. We pray it will be useful for people searching for a church like us but didn't know we existed. The Members Area and the Photo Gallery are really going to be an added benefit to our church family. As an example, we will post a cross section of pictures from a given event and you will be able to view them. But, you will also be able to right-click-copy them.

The Members Area is just about ready for our church family. I will probably allow access by tomorrow evening. For those of you who have requested membership, I'm delaying acceptance until the Members Area is fully functioning.

We are just about to go live with our new website. I really hope it will be a help to our church folk. One of the truly amazing features for our church is the Members Page. We are still building this part of the site, but when it is ready to go, it is going to be a great way for church members to exchange information. Enjoy the site.