Mercy: Not paying the penalty for our sin

For the most part, I would classify myself as a good driver. Of course that depends on my mood when I get behind the wheel. But all in all I’d say I’m pretty safe. In my 28 years of driving I have never been pulled over or received a ticket. That is, until a few days ago.

I neglected to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. To my dismay, a motorcycle cop was there to witness my criminal act and dutifully pulled me over.  When asked why I didn’t come to a complete stop, I told the truth: I was too busy talking with my son (who was in the car) and wasn’t paying attention.

He took my license and registration, filled out the ticket and brought it over to me to sign. However, instead of signing a piece of paper condemning me, I signed a piece of paper releasing me.

He had offered me mercy and sent me on my way with a warning. I was relieved and humbled at the same time. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to deal with fines and traffic school; humbled by the fact that I deserved to deal with fines and traffic school but was forgiven of my transgression.

Does this story sound familiar? It should. After all, it’s an allegory of the amazing mercy and grace given to each and every one of us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

We are all guilty. We deserve the penalty for our sin, but in His loving mercy, Jesus sets us free. He paid the ultimate price so that we wouldn’t have to.

Why? Simple. He did it for love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

Dina Pugh

"An Open Letter To Oasis Church"

Dear Oasis Church,

I have the privilege and honor to live in your community of believers for over 25 years.  While I am just a humble member, I have observed your growing pains over your lifespan, and would like to share my observations with all who care to listen.

I would like to point out what you have been for me in my lifetime; truly, you have exhibited the fruit of the Spirit to me and, I think, to many others, whom our Great Shepherd has sent your way.  

I wholeheartedly believe that my life would be shipwrecked, literally and figuratively, if God did not plant you and cultivate you as a church to protect me and to build up my faith. Bless His Name.

Please accept my observations of the Holy Spirit borne in your existence:

Love - I have seen your leadership and your saints consistently accept all peoples without regard to race, income, social status, etc.  I have always been accepted despite my failings, sins and unfaithfulness.  You have always been a strength to me in all my weaknesses. You have never turned me away.  This is the love of God.

Joy - True joy knows that you are accepted and loved.  Because you have loved God's people (like me) without conditions, godly joy is found within your walls.

Peace - Your leadership has paid a great cost to preserve godly peace in your house by removing conflict, false teaching, false ambitions, turmoil and sin.  They have battled many conflicts to protect your flock.  They carry the scars, but we received the benefits of a peaceful house of God.

Patience - True patience is slow to anger, deliberate in the steps of righteousness, reluctant to speak or to judge hastily, as well as a refusal to be ruled by whims.  I have witnessed innumerable amounts of patience as your leaders avoid rash decisions, hasty judgments, or are overly assertive when it comes to caring for our spiritual growth and advancement.

Kindness - Your house has been a fortress of kindness continually and consistently to the needy, the confused, the sick, the young, the old, and all of us in-between.  I have personally been touched by this kindness through your people feeding me, sustaining me by their financial generosity, or by supporting me when I didn't deserve it.  Kindness has not only built me up as a Christian, 

but it has built you as a church that has enabled you to endure all your trials and tribulations.

Goodness - It has been said that goodness is simply defined as always living for others, never seeking its own advantage.  I have watched you, as a church, not try to impress the world, or the community, with your achievements or skills.  I have watched you impress God with your acts of goodness done in His name as you brought your resources to build other churches, missionaries, needy families in America and abroad, strangers, as well as your own.  Most of your acts of goodness are rarely talked about or mentioned, but if not for your devotion to Jesus Christ, many great events and great deeds would never have occurred.

Faithfulness - I have seen many people come and go from your house.  Sometimes it is good; sometimes it is painful.  I know of those saints that silently serve you and love you.  They never complain or ask for acknowledgment or reward.  Faithfulness is one of the remarkable characteristics of God Himself, and never have I seen it displayed more than in the people and leaders here in this house.  This type of commitment comes from God's power, not human power.

Gentleness - Our world views our God as viciously judgmental or blandly irrelevant.  If only those who think about our Lord in this way could enter your halls of gentleness.  They have not seen the gentleness of God in action until they are hurting and receive a gentle word or touch, and that is how you have shown to me the gentle nature of a gentle God.  When I have received mercy instead of criticism by your leaders and people, you have displayed the gentle heart of Jesus Christ.

Self-Control - I have watched many people try to harm you by trying to implement false teaching, denigrate and slander your shepherds (Pastors), deceive your people, and outright try to destroy your existence.  Never have I witnessed such godly discipline and restraint than by your leaders when they did not return evil for evil, nor bring destruction down upon these misguided or just plain wicked individuals.  I have come to understand through the example of your shepherds that self-control is indeed the key fruit to empower us to manage our Christian life.

This is my poor attempt to show you how much I value your existence in my life.  In all my ups and downs, in all my rebellion and sins, in all my comings and goings, Oasis has been an unceasing, faithful friend that has welcomed me and given me a place of peace in a chaotic world.

Yours sincerely,

A long time Oasis member

God Wants Us; We Need God

God spoke the universe into existence so that he could have a relationship with you and I. We were all created uniquely with a single uniting purpose: to be in a loving relationship with God. 

Everything you see around you is there to support this goal.  Jesus is the tangible embodiment of God that we can understand in human terms.  The Holy Spirit is our friend who is with us always to guide the way. 

But God does not demand this relationship of us.  He patiently waits for us as we live out our lives. We are to come to him in our own time by our own freewill. The Father is always there, drawing us closer to him daily as he molds and shapes us. God wants us.

Because God gives us the space to grow we sometimes lose sight of our need for God. Especially when we experience success that we do not attribute to him. 

Giving God the credit does not come naturally to our sinful selves, particularly in the culture we presently live in. And when we fail, which we ultimately will, it can be difficult to repent. But repent we must. 

We need God far more than God needs us. When God created us he left a void in our souls that only 

God himself can fill. God is waiting to fill that space with an intimate personal relationship with him built on trust and love. 

We need to seek a relationship with Jesus to reach the ultimate self-awareness. We need God.

Kevin Bibo

International Sushi Day

I didn’t know there was such a day. There seems to be a day or celebration for everything. So, I decided I would celebrate International Sushi Day by having sushi for lunch. I’m not too daring when it comes to eating anything raw…except vegetables…so I kept it safe.

That got me to thinking about the message I am preparing for Oasis Nights called, “I Dare You.”

Sometimes we play it safe when it comes to our Christian walk.  We don’t dare step out of our comfort zone. I’m not saying we have to be daring in a drastic kind of way. Most of us will make one of two choices when it comes to a dare. We either thrive on the excitement or go for it ,or we play it safe.

Do you dare to let people know that you are a Christian or do you just play it safe?

When people get to know you do they know what you believe? Hmmm. I dare you to ask yourself that question.

See you Sunday night.

Pastor Jason

Between Our Father and God

"Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace."  -Charles Spurgeon

Imagine a father giving his daughter an extravagant Christmas gift every year: an expensive piece of jewelry.  At first, she might squeal with delight and hug her father's neck as tightly as she could.  After a few years, her reaction to the annual gift might calm to a respectful "thank you."

Eventually, she might begin to expect the extravagance as her right.  Suppose that one year the father didn't have enough money for expensive jewelry and bought her something much more humble.  How would she react?

We know human nature well enough to know that once we're accustomed to generous grace, we expect it not as a gift but as a right.  Perhaps we've noticed this dynamic in our spiritual lives as well:

God gave us salvation, to which we rejoiced as undeserving recipients should; then we began to take His mercies for granted; now, we often expect them as our rightful inheritance.  

We might even complain when He doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him to, or when he doesn't make life as easy for us as we think it should be.

What happened to us?  We made a dreadful mistake.  We misunderstood the consistency of God's mercy.  Somewhere along the way, we decided that His extravagant promises

entitled us not only to trust in them, but to demand them.  Perhaps we've been spoiled. Job's many blessings may have led him to expect that God would always bless him in

exactly the same ways.  God didn't.  Job couldn't understand that, and he even hinted that God might have dealt unfairly with him.  Like us, he forgot that we are fallen, corrupt, and spiritually dead.  We deserved nothing.  Grace gave us everything.

"Who has claim against Me that I must pay?  Everything under heaven belongs to Me."

-Job 41:11

Yours sincerely,

A long-time Oasis member