Does Hell Really Exist?

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more….
Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”

– Luke 12:4-5

A 2014 Pew Research Poll revealed that 72% of Americans believe in Heaven, but only 58% believe in Hell. Surprisingly, the survey indicated that—even among those who claim to be “Christian”—there is much doubt about Hell. Thirty-seven percent of Catholics don’t believe in Hell. Neither do 40% of those who associate with a traditional denomination (e.g., Lutheran, Methodist or Episcopal). Even among self-proclaimed “evangelicals,” there is much reluctance to believe in Hell.

Suffice it to say: It’s much easier for us to wrap our minds around the idea of an eternity of bliss in Heaven than it is to embrace the notion of an eternity of torture in Hell. Even for those of us who believe in Hell, most of us aren’t comfortable with it. How can we be? If Hell is half as bad as we’ve been told, we wouldn’t wish it on our worst enemy. Even the respected author and theologian C.S. Lewis said of Hell, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words.”

Let’s do our best to push aside our preconceived ideas about Hell and examine the New Testament’s answers to three questions. Question #1: Is Hell a real place? In a word, yes. There are several dozen references to Hell in the New Testament, and most of these are made by Jesus himself. The most common Greek word used by Christ for Hell is “gehenna.” Gehenna was the name of a valley located south of Jerusalem where Molech worshipers had once practiced infant sacrifice. In the days of King Josiah, the pagan altars were demolished and desecrated. And by the time Jesus came onto the scene, gehenna was used as the town dump, where the smell of burning refuse constantly rose from the valley. Since this was common knowledge to the people of Israel, Jesus adopted this word “gehenna” as the name for the place of eternal punishment.

Question #2: What is Hell like? Although Jesus doesn’t give an exhaustive description of Hell, he tells us enough to make the hair on the back of our necks stand up. In Matthew 13:40-42, he describes Hell as a “fiery furnace” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 25:41, he adds that it is a place of complete separation from God, a place of “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” And according to Christ’s words in Mark 9:47-49, in Hell the fire is never quenched and “their worm does not die.” I don’t know what an eternal worm looks like or does, but its purpose in Hell doesn’t sound pleasant. And just like everything else in Hell (the punishment, the flames, the hopelessness and the misery), it is eternal.

Question #3: Who will go to Hell? Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Therefore, he is the only one who can offer us a “Get out of Hell Free” card. So, ultimately, whether or not we end up in Hell depends on what we choose to do with Jesus. The one who chooses to reject God’s laws—including the law to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—will be condemned by God’s laws. The one who rejects God’s offer of eternal grace through Christ will have only one alternative: eternal condemnation for his/her sins in Hell.

Most of us don’t put up a fuss about mass murderers like Hitler, Osama bin Laden, Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer being condemned to Hell. But when we read passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21, we quickly come to realize that there is a laundry list of sins that condemn us to the eternal flames: premarital sex, adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, greed, hatred, witchcraft, jealousy and fits of rage—just to name a few. Sadly, all of us have fallen short of God’s standards. Each of us has broken God’s commands. We’ve all turned our backs on God and gone our own way. Therefore, according to Scripture, the just punishment for each of us is eternal separation from God in Hell.

But thankfully, there is good news! Jesus Christ offers us the marvelous gift of grace instead of justice. We learn in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” We discover in Ephesians 2:8-9 that “it is by grace we have been saved, through faith. And this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast.”

So, according to the Bible, is Hell a real place? Yes, it is. It is an actual place of eternal punishment that is unimaginably horrible. It will be the eternal home of Satan, the demons and every person who has sinned against God and refused to humbly accept the free gift of grace and forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ. It boils down to this: In eternity you will receive either justice or grace. So, for Christ’s sake, choose grace.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sunday at 10 am.

Don’t Be a Cold Christian

 “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

– Revelation 2:4

We’ve all met them. At some time or another you may have even been one. I’m talking about cold Christians: Christ followers who do all the “right” things without a bit of love. Many a marriage has fallen apart—not because there was an affair, abuse or abandonment—but because there was no love in the marriage. And just as a marriage can’t survive for very long without love, a church can’t survive very long without love. As Bible scholar Leon Morris puts it, “A church can continue only for so long on a loveless course... If they repent they may yet be saved. But if not, there is no hope.”

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Jesus delivers seven brief letters to seven different churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Christ praises six of these seven churches for doing certain things very well. And his longest list of praises is delivered to the Christian Church in Ephesus. In Revelation 2:2-6, Jesus identifies seven different practices of the Ephesian Christians that are worthy of praise. In short, they practiced good deeds, worked hard, persevered amidst difficulties, refused to tolerate wickedness in the church, discerned false teaching, endured hardship, and hated the practices of those who tried to peddle heresy among their members.

By any estimation, this is an impressive list. Most churches would be ecstatic to have Christ shower them with these compliments. On a scale of 1-10, the Ephesian Church looked like a “10.” But even though it appeared to be a picture-perfect church on the outside, the church had something seriously wrong on the inside. Jesus bluntly tells the Ephesian Christians in verse 4: “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

What does Jesus mean by this rebuke? Well, there are a couple possibilities. According to Jesus, the greatest command in the Bible is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30-31). So, “you have forsaken your first love” could indicate that the Ephesian Christians were going through the motions of a Christian who truly loved God, but deep down …they really didn’t. They may have had some admirable motives for living out their religion so well, but love for God wasn’t one of them.

Or possibly “you have forsaken your first love” indicates that the Ephesian Christians had forsaken love for people as a top priority. Years earlier Jesus had told his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). The Christians in Ephesus had been taught well to embrace God’s love and know God’s love and reflect God’s love in their personal relationships. But somewhere along the line, their love for people had grown cold. Although they looked good on the outside, their perseverance, doctrine, and ministries were loveless. They didn’t do the good things they did out of a deep love for Christ and others. So, despite how good their deeds may have looked to outsiders, the truth was: The Christian Church in Ephesus was dying. And only repentance and a re-prioritizing of love could bring it back to life.

I am reminded of the powerful words written by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” And Paul concludes the chapter with this short but powerful insight: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

As I consider the Ephesian Christians’ lack of love, a few words come to mind: unfeeling, robotic, mechanical, impersonal, loveless, lifeless and cold. Perhaps you could think of a few other words to describe a church that does the right things but does them without love. Regardless of the words that come to mind, I hope and pray that my Christianity will never be these things: unfeeling, mechanical and impersonal. I hope and pray that your Christianity will never be these things: loveless, lifeless and cold.

Friends, just as a husband and wife must guard themselves against a loveless marriage, Christians must guard themselves against a loveless church. We must be very careful. As we persevere through trials and endure hardship and faithfully teach God’s word and carry out some great ministries, we must make sure that we do it all in love. Cold, loveless Christianity is a dying Christianity. And a cold, loveless church is a dying church. The Apostle Paul was right: When it comes to living out our faith, “the greatest of these is love.” So, let’s make sure that we love Christ and others with everything we’ve got. If we don’t, our Christianity is nothing.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for our worship celebration Sundays at 10 am.

Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment.”

– Hebrews 10:26-27

Perhaps you’ve seen the movie: God’s Not Dead. The 2014 film tells the story of a first semester college student named Shane Harper who enrolls in a philosophy class and experiences a formidable challenge on the first day of class. You see, he is a committed Christian, and his professor is a militant atheist who requires every student to sign this simple statement in order to pass the class: “God is dead.” One by one, all the students in the class take out a sheet of paper and sign the statement. All of them…except for Shane. He refuses to sign it, and as a result, the professor requires him to spend the next three class sessions doing his best to prove that God’s Not Dead.

As you probably know, by many measures Christianity is on a decline in America. Fifty years ago, the overwhelming majority of Americans identified as “Christian” and considered the United States to be a Christian nation. But as much as I hate to admit it, America is a Christian nation no longer. Each year hundreds of churches close their doors. More than ever before, Christians are marginalized and criticized. A large percentage of Americans don’t believe the Bible to be God’s word. And millions of Americans—even many professed “Christians”—proclaim, “If there is a heaven, Jesus is certainly not the only way to get there.”

In this age of inclusivity and tolerance, many Christians are hesitant or embarrassed to affirm the exclusivity of the gospel. They deem it to be a huge cultural blunder to declare Christianity to be true and every other religion to be wrong. Let’s face it: We don’t like to be labeled “intolerant," “narrow-minded” or “bigoted” by our culture. Therefore, we find ourselves second-guessing what the New Testament teaches about heaven. We think: Perhaps Christians have been too narrow-minded with their doctrine of salvation. Maybe we have misunderstood what Jesus and Scripture teach about salvation. Could it be that our belief in “Christ alone” is illogical and doesn’t stand up to intellectual scrutiny?

Allow me to share something very important that Christians everywhere need to hear—three proofs that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Proof #1: Jesus revealed it. Throughout the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Jesus reveals this truth over and over. For example, in John 3:16-17, Jesus makes it clear that he is “the” Savior from whom we receive eternal life. In John 11:25, Jesus reveals himself as the “resurrection and the life.” In Matthew 28:18, Jesus tells his followers that he has “all authority in heaven.” In other words, Jesus oversees all of heaven, even the front gate. There’s no back door, and there’s no appeal to a higher power, because Jesus is the highest power. And Jesus couldn’t have been more clear than he is in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So, is Jesus the only way to heaven? Yes! Jesus revealed it.

Proof #2: The New Testament confirms it. Time and again, the Book of Acts and the epistles confirm that Jesus provides the only path to salvation. In Acts 4:12, when the Apostle Peter is being pressured to stop preaching in Jesus’ name, he boldly proclaims, “Salvation is found in no one else [besides Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Paul declares in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” And according to Hebrews 10:26-27, if we reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is no other path to salvation. Inevitably, all those who reject Christ will have to face the music: “judgment and raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

Proof #3: Logic proves it. Once we understand that Jesus Christ and the New Testament speak in harmony regarding salvation through Christ alone, it is completely illogical for any Bible-believing Christian to come to any conclusion other than this: Jesus is the only way to heaven. Now, Christians get accused all the time of clinging to beliefs that are too narrow-minded and too exclusive. But the fact is: All truth is narrow-minded and exclusive. Think about it: The truth that “two plus two equals four” is exclusive. Basic arithmetic doesn’t allow for any other conclusion. Two plus two can never equal three, five, seventeen or 38,000. Two plus two always equals four. Every truth is equally narrow-minded. Racism is wrong. Period! First degree murder is evil. Period! Incest, rape and armed robbery are always bad. Case closed! All truth and all truth claims are exclusive, narrow-minded and intolerant. Truth couldn’t care less about being politically correct. Truth doesn’t dabble in the “touchy-feely.” Truth is truth whether we like it or not.

In our culture where a growing number of Christians are more concerned with being politically correct than biblically correct, we need to embrace and speak the truth regarding salvation and heaven. We need to lock arms with Shane Harper and boldly proclaim the gospel. Pastor John MacArthur says it well: “As long as Christians are being duped or intimidated into softening the bold claims of Christ and widening the narrow road, the church will make no headway against postmodernism. We need to recover the distinctiveness of the gospel. We need to regain our confidence in the power of God’s truth. And we need to proclaim boldly that Christ is the only true hope for the people of this world. That may not be what people want to hear…but it is true nonetheless. [Therefore,] it is all the more urgent that we rise above all voices of confusion in the world and say so.”

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

The Church: Who Needs It?

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

– 1 Corinthians 12:27

Perhaps when you were a child, church attendance wasn’t optional in your family. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t dare ask my parents, “Could I just stay home today?” I was taught from a very young age that Sunday is “the Lord’s Day” (the Christian equivalent of the Jewish Sabbath Day). So, when we skip church, we are disobeying the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.”

Well, that perspective seems long gone. Gone are the days when the overwhelming majority of Americans were convinced that Christianity and weekly church attendance are inseparable; you can’t have one without the other. In today’s busy world, most Christians view church attendance as optional, and far too often other weekend options (i.e., sports, parties, overtime and rest) take precedence. We are now at a point when some atheists have much better church attendance than Christians. 

In recent years, thousands of atheists across America have discovered something that many Christians have forgotten: attending church is vitally important and even…fun. Over the past five years, atheist churches (usually called “gatherings”) have popped up all over Great Britain and the U.S. And these gatherings are filled with inspirational teaching, singing and loving fellowship.  Sound familiar? It’s quite a paradox: Atheist communities love the church but don’t like God or Jesus. Conversely, many Christians love God and Jesus but don’t like the church.

Could it be that atheists have discovered something that many Christians have long forgotten? I think so. They have discovered that their own stripped-down version of the church is far superior to isolation. Even without Christ, their gatherings meet a need for fellowship and give them a sense of belonging. How much more so is this the case when Christians meet? Without Christ, atheistic churches bring some value to their members. But with Christ, Christian churches bring infinite value to their members.

There are three key metaphors used for Christ’s Church in the New Testament—metaphors that help us grasp how very important the church is. First, the Church is the Body of Christ. In both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul likens the church to a human body. Just as a body is made up of many parts that each serve a specific purpose, so too the Church has many members—each having an important role to fill. The truth is: The Church can exist without you, but it will be the less for it. And you can exist without the Church, but you will be the less for it. Just as an index finger or big toe is severely handicapped on its own, so too is a Christian spiritually handicapped when he isolates himself from the Body of Christ.

Second, the Church is the Family of God. In 1 Peter 2:17, we are instructed to “love the brotherhood of believers.” Christians call each other “brothers and sisters” because, at the point of conversion, each of us is adopted into God’s family. God becomes our true Father, and we become a cherished member of His household. But as in any family, there is occasional sibling rivalry in the Church. These times of quarreling may be uncomfortable and a bit unnerving, but they should never lead us to abandon our brothers and sisters. Many Christians turn on a dime to lock arms with their blood relatives in times of need. How much more should we be quick to lock arms with our Christian brothers and sisters whose adoptions have been secured by the precious blood of Christ?

Third, the Church is the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 21, the Church is called Christ’s bride. Although this statement is true: “Jesus died on the cross for my sins,” it is more accurate to say, “Jesus died on the cross for the Church’s sins.” He spilled his blood so that his bride (all Christians together) could be washed clean and become the pure, undefiled bride of Christ. This powerful metaphor emphasizes Christ’s great love for the Church. To put it simply: Jesus adores his Church…warts, scars, body odor and all. No one knows the Church’s hang-ups and shortcomings better than Jesus. If anyone ever had a legitimate reason for abandoning the Church it would be Jesus. But he never has and never will leave the Church. Why not? Because he loves it as his bride. He is committed to it for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health. In the same way, he calls every Christian to love and stay committed to His Church till death do us part.

Time will tell how long atheistic assemblies will survive. Regardless, the Church of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, because the Church of Jesus Christ has the most important building block of any life-changing church: Christ himself. Every church has problems. No church is perfect. (If you find a perfect church, please don’t join it, because then it won’t be perfect anymore.) The Church is the glorious Body of Christ, the Family of God and the Bride of Christ. The Church needs you, and you need the Church. Even atheists are realizing this fact.  

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Why Christ’s Resurrection Matters

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

– 1 Corinthians 15:19

A young boy ran into his pastor at the grocery store. Since Easter had just recently passed, the pastor asked the preschooler, “Billy, do you know why we celebrate Easter each year?” The little boy’s face lit up as he said, “I sure do! Jesus went to Jerusalem, rode a donkey and they waved palm branches at him.” He continued, “But then he got in trouble. He was beat up, yelled at, and then they nailed him to a cross.” The pastor liked what he heard. “What else, Billy?” The little boy became more serious as he said, “They put Jesus in a tomb and put a big rock in front of it. But three days later he got raised and got out of there.” The pastor was delighted that his church’s Sunday School program had taught Billy so well. But he was taken aback when Billy added enthusiastically, “Jesus walked out of the tomb, looks around, and if he sees his shadow there’s six more weeks of winter.”

Sadly, Billy is not alone in his confusion. Our nation is filled with millions of men and women who attended an Easter church service a week ago but missed out on its meaning to their lives. The honest truth is: Many people believe that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, but they don’t understand its relevance. They recognize that the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is overwhelming; they don’t discount that it happened. Rather, they discount that it has any bearing on their day-to-day lives. But allow me share with you five convincing reasons why Jesus’ resurrection matters to you.

#1: Jesus’ resurrection proves that he is the Son of God. In John 10:18 Jesus told his followers, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” Consider this: Any martyr could claim to have the authority to lay down his/her life for a cause. But none of us—not even an angel in heaven—has the authority or power to raise ourselves from the dead. Only God can do that. Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection proves that He is—in fact—God in the flesh.

#2: Jesus’ resurrection confirms that the Bible is true. There are several Old Testament prophesies claiming that the promised Messiah (Christ) would rise from the dead. For example, King David wrote in Psalm 16:10, “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” The prophesies in the Bible are 100% accurate, 100% of the time. And Jesus’ resurrection offers further proof that even the prophesies in Scripture that seem impossible to fulfill are proven to be accurate time and again.

#3: Jesus’ resurrection paves the way for our own future resurrection, giving us great hope. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:19-22, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Bottom line: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead blazed the trail for you and me to live forever. Because Christ conquered death on Easter morning, we have this unshakable hope: This life is not all there is. The best is yet to come.

#4: Jesus’ resurrection proves that Judgment Day is coming. While speaking to a group of Greek philosophers, Paul said in Acts 17:30-31, “God commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Sadly, Jesus’ resurrection isn’t good news to everyone. You see, because Jesus is alive, he will hold us accountable for our sin. That’s the purpose of Judgment Day—to declare our innocence or guilt before our holy God. For those of us who are found guilty of rejecting Jesus Christ on earth, God will reject us in eternity. Sadly, there will be hell to pay.

#5: Jesus’ resurrection empowers us to live lives that please God. Let me ask you: What do you think the chances are of you, on your own, living a life that pleases God? Slim to none? How about just plain—None! The Bible proclaims that on our own, our good deeds are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness. On our own you and I cannot live lives that are good and righteous. It can’t be done. It’s impossible. But with Christ, the impossible becomes possible. Only the risen Christ can help us live lives that truly please God.

Unlike the little boy in the grocery store, I don’t think you’ve ever confused Jesus with a groundhog. But perhaps you’ve unknowingly lumped the resurrection into the same category as a marshmallow Peep: fine for the holiday but irrelevant to your day-to-day life. Now that we've passed the one-week anniversary of Easter 2017, I hope that you are continuing to be impacted and transformed by the power of our risen Savior. He is the death-conquering Son of God. He is the culmination of Biblical prophecy. He is the hope-giving trail blazer for eternal life. He is the guarantor that Judgment Day is coming, and he is the only one who can help us be God-pleasers. So, does the resurrection of Jesus Christ matter? You bet it matters—much, much more than you may have ever realized. 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

The Secret of Contentment

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

– Philippians 4:12

The story is told of a Quaker who offered a piece of property free of charge to anyone who considered himself content. When a man came to claim the parcel, the Quaker asked him, ‘If you’re content, why do you want my land?” Realizing that his actions betrayed his hidden discontent, the man turned and walked away.

To be “content” is to be satisfied with what you have and are—not needing more. Sadly, as we leave our homes and go into the world each day, we are surrounded by people drowning in discontent. Worse still, contentment is an elusive, rare jewel that many Christians never discover. Perhaps God had this sobering reality in mind when He inspired Paul to conclude his letter to the Philippians by highlighting four secrets to contentment. If you—like most Christians—want to be content with the life God has given you, take these four great secrets to heart. 

The 1^st Secret: Be confident that God always provides for His own. Consider Joseph. Although he was rejected by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused of rape and thrown into a dungeon, God always provided for him. God saw to it that the circumstances and situations were put in place so that His purposes could be carried out in Joseph’s life. The same held true for Paul. Even when he was whipped, beaten, shipwrecked and hungry, God saw to it that Paul’s needs were met and Christ’s Kingdom was advanced. Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe says it so well: “Life is not a series of accidents; it is a series of appointments.” There is great peace and contentment that come when we take a deep breath and embrace this powerful secret: God always provides for His own.

The 2^nd Secret: Understand that the amount of stuff we own has nothing to do with contentment. Paul writes in Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Over the course of several years, Jesus Christ taught Paul that contentment doesn’t stem from being nicely dressed, well fed or pampered. If anything, the stuff that normally surrounds a materially-blessed person is a distraction. You see, the amount of stuff we own is irrelevant. To be content is to be thankful and satisfied with what God has given you—be it little or much. We’d be wise to meditate on the words of Chuck Swindoll: “The good life exists only when we stop wanting a better one. The itch for things is a virus draining the soul of contentment.”

The 3^rd Secret: Believe that God’s strength empowers you to be content in any situation. Philippians 4:13 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is a marvelous verse, but we dare not forget the context of the verse—contentment in all circumstances. Whether Paul was well fed and comfortable or hungry and sitting in a jail cell, Jesus Christ empowered him to be content. Whether Paul was liked and appreciated or hated and beaten, Jesus Christ still empowered him to be content. Paul learned to be content in all circumstances through Christ who gave him strength. And Christ gave him that strength from the inside out. Instead of turning to stuff around him to find contentment, Paul turned to Christ who was living inside him. Therefore, if you are a Christian, consider this: No matter what situation you find yourself in—be it good, bad or ugly—your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, God’s Spirit goes with you wherever you go. And He is ready and willing to empower you to be content in any and every situation you face.

The 4^th Secret: Focus on meeting others’ needs, trusting that God will meet all your needs in Christ. In this world where most people are preoccupied with themselves, Paul was preoccupied with others. And that was one of the secrets to his contentment. He took his eyes off his own needs and focused on others’ needs. And having personally experienced the consistent provision of his great and awesome God, Paul confidently wrote in Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” When it comes to God’s need-meeting, here is an important insight to remember. If you are “in Christ,” God promises to meet your needs—not your greeds. As Warren Wiersbe says so eloquently, “When the child of God is in the will of God, serving for the glory of God, then he will have every need met.”

Christian, you may not live in a mansion, drive a 2017 BMW or take annual vacations to Hawaii, but consider how rich you are in Christ. You have been blessed with riches that money can’t buy: forgiveness, reconciliation with your Creator, deliverance, love, hope, peace, purpose and joy. And God has consistently met your basic needs for material possessions time and again. So, why on earth are you discontent? Stop looking for the “good life.” You already have it in Christ! You don’t need a brand new car, the latest gadget or a better-looking spouse to be content. The secret to contentment hasn’t been right under your nose all this time. In reality, it’s been even closer. The secret of contentment is living inside you, and His name is Jesus.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. Join us for Easter Sunday!

 Worship services are at 7 am and 10 am. Questions? Visit www.fccvv.com .

God’s Antidote to Worry

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

– Philippians 4:6

Have you ever lost sleep worrying about something? Of course you have! At some time or another all of us have lost sleep worrying about our health, our marriage, our job, our debt, or any of a hundred different things. And sadly, worry robs us of much more than just sleep. Worry robs us of our health, erodes our faith and, most tragically, strips us of our joy in the Lord. Thankfully, Philippians 4:4-9 reveals God’s antidote to worry.

In Philippians 4:4, the Apostle Paul unveils a bold command that seems impossible to follow: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Consider the implications of this command. When you’ve just left your spouse’s graveside, rejoice in the Lord. When you’ve just received an eviction notice, rejoice in the Lord. When you’ve just been laid off and have no other household income, rejoice in the Lord. This call to rejoice at all times and in all circumstances—be they good, bad or ugly—sounds impossible. But with God…all things are possible.

Yes, when our joy is solidly grounded in our great and awesome God, we truly can rejoice in all circumstances and at all times. You see, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is just as good in our valleys as He is on our mountaintops. He is just as faithful when we’re sick as when we’re healthy. He’s just as merciful, gracious, loving and strong when our circumstances stink as when they’re all rosy. So, if our joy is firmly grounded in God, we can rejoice no matter what comes our way.

The reason we worry so much is because our minds are consumed with thoughts of stuff instead of being consumed by thoughts of God. Simply put: If you have a small view of God, you will inevitably struggle with a big amount of anxiety and worry. But if you have a big view of God and flood your mind every day with the pure truth from His Word, you will inevitably deal with very little worry. It boils down to this: Big and frequent thoughts of God lead to little worry. But small and infrequent thoughts of God lead to much worry.

And with that in mind, the Apostle Paul reveals God’s three specific antidotes to worry in verses 6-9.

Antidote #1: Right praying. In verse 6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When our anxiety starts to rise, our first response should be to turn to God in prayer. And according to Paul, our prayers should contain three parts: prayer, petition and thanksgiving. “Prayer” refers to adoration and worship. When we pray, we should spend some time worshipping God for His holiness, His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His justice and His power. Next, we should “petition” Him for our specific needs. As a loving Father, God loves to meet our needs and answer our prayers. Finally, we should “thank” God for answering our prayers in the past and even for His future answers to our prayer. 

Antidote #2: Right thinking. One of the reasons you and I get so stressed out is because we don’t think right. We are very quick to view the glass as half empty but slow to see it as half full. In verse 8, Paul urges us to flood our thoughts with what is true—not with what is untrue or speculative. Paul asks us to think about what is noble and right, not what is disgraceful and sinful. He instructs us to fill our thoughts with the things of God that are pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Honestly, when we spend a few moments considering this marvelous list of anxiety-busting thoughts, we’re quickly reminded of how undisciplined and off track our thoughts tend to be.

Antidote #3: Right living. You and I can’t expect to be free of worry if we pray and think right but don’t live right. The pursuit of God’s peace is both inward and outward. Paul writes in verse 9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” As we worship God with our thoughts, we must worship Him with our deeds. As we thank Him in our prayers, we must also thank Him with our lives. As our thoughts are consumed with God-honoring thoughts that are noble, right, pure and admirable, our decisions must be noble, right, pure and admirable.

Because our great and awesome God loves us, He has graciously supplied us with these three antidotes to worry. The Lord never intended for us to carry the weight of the world’s problems on our shoulders. That’s Jesus’s job, not ours. So, when we realize that our thoughts are being flooded with many worries, it’s time to reach for God’s worry-busting remedies. We must pray right, think right and live right. And God’s peace that surpasses all understanding will come rushing in. 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. Join us for Good Friday at 6 pm and for Easter Sunday at 7 am or 10 am. Questions? Visit www.fccvv.com .