God Calls Dr. Jack Arnold to Glory

On Sunday morning, January 9, Dr. Jack L. Arnold was transported to the presence of Christ. Jack was preaching during morning worship and as he approached the conclusion of his sermon on the cost of discipleship, as he passionately exhorted us to live for Christ and anticipate going to be with Him when your earthly work is completed, Jack paused, looked up briefly, and fell to the ground. Despite the courageous efforts of numerous members in the congregation and the Oviedo Rescue Department, Jack died from a massive cardiac arrest.

While we grieve our loss of this wonderful servant, we do not grieve without hope. Rather we grieve the loss of companionship and leadership that Jack gave, but we celebrate the example he left, the people he taught and mentored over the years, and we celebrate his final words: “To me to live is Christ, to die is gain.”

Conclusion of Jack Arnold’s final sermon:

The following words are taken from the text of Jack Arnold’s notes for Sunday. Though he departed slightly from the notes, he was in this final section, approaching the conclusion when he was taken home to be with the Lord. Read and consider the conclusion he intended to speak.

Christians often have a horrible fear that if they really commit to Christ, becoming a radical in His kingdom, they will suffer so terribly and their lives will be miserable. But what does Jesus say?

The Apostle Peter also questioned whether following Christ was really worth it, and Christ gave him a direct answer.

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matthew 19:28-30).

Was Christ jerking us around? Was He lying to us? His words are either true or false. If they are false promises, Christ is a liar, and He is not worth following. Let us go out and eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. If they are true promises, then not to follow Christ would be the biggest mistake any person could ever make. Not to follow Christ, will cost one his or her soul!

CONCLUSION

What the church needs today are true disciples, outspoken followers of Christ, and bold believers. We need radical Christians that spread the good news of Christ through love and persuasion, not through force and killing. We need men and women who are willing to suffer for the gospel and die for it if called upon to do so.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, said, “Give me one hundred men who love God and hate sin, and we will turn the world up side down for Christ!” Wesley almost did it in his generation.

I say to you, “Give me one hundred men or women that love God and hate sin, and we will turn the world up side down for Christ!” I think I could find one hundred men and women who loved Christ in America, but I am not sure I could find one hundred men and women in America that hate sin.

We Christians just have one life to give, so let us give it for Christ and His kingdom, for eternal values and for the glory of God.

“This life will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.”

Mazen

The Beatitudes - Part 4

The Beatitudes-Matthew 5:1-12
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Happy are the pure in heart. When looking at the original Greek language I found that the word for pure had a meaning of being purified by fire or like a vine cleansed by pruning. It reminded me of Job being tested and the verses in John with the vine and the branches.

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15 1-4.

The verse says to me happy are those who God has purified. That’s a huge thought. Yet, when God tests us and we come out a more pure servant of His on the other side when we look back we know it was worth it. It had purpose. In regards to the rest of the verse that says they will see God. I think about my tests in life and so many times I see God through all of it. Either He guides me through or I look back and see He was there all along. Is God testing you? Look for Him through all of it. See Him. Happy are those who are purified by the Refiner’s fire.

Lori

The Beatitudes - Part 3

The Beatitudes-Matthew 5:1-12
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”

Happy are those who hunger and thirst for right living for they will be filled. What an amazing thought. Jesus tells us if we want these things then we will get them. How many things have you desired that you never got? This is not one of them. Some of us in our Christian experience may tend to be really on track in our minds and estimation some days and then other times we find ourselves off in a desert. We may not desire God the way we did at one time. We may not desire right living as we used to. What do we do? Angela Thomas in her Bible study “A Beautiful Offering” gives two wonderful suggestions. First, pray and simply ask God for it. Lord, give me the hunger and thirst for You and for right living. The second thing she says is to drag yourself into the presence of God. That expression really spoke to me. Sometimes, we need to move ourselves to the presence of God. Then wait. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Moving from the desert to the fullness of God is a process, one that is worth whatever we have to do to get there. Are you hungry and thirsty today? Do you long for the desire of God that you are lacking? Do you simply just miss God? Pray and move to the presence of God. Why not start right now?

Lori

The Beatitudes - Part 2

The Beatitudes-Matthew 5:1-12
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Happy are the meek. The word meek has received a bad rap in our society. When people think of meek they sometimes subsititute the word weak for it. That’s not what Jesus was saying in the Beatitudes. If you study the original Greek word for meek you will find something else. Meek is a word that means strength under pressure. I also read a commentary where it said meek people are surrendered to God’s power and see His dealings with them as good. Meekness is a wonderful picture of Christ. He wasn’t weak, but had power under control. Even when falsely accused and persecuted Jesus never unleashed what power He had. He was fully submitted to the will of God. How meek are you? Are you strength under the command and power of the Holy Spirit?

Lori

The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes-Matthew 5:1-12
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Recently I have been taking a study on the Beatitudes. These passages are familiar to most of us who have been believers for a while. As I read them I realized I really didn’t understand their meaning. After some research and prayer I have found that really the message is very important to us. I want to pull out a few of the verses that really delighted me recently. First let’s translate the word blessing. There are many words the Greek language uses for this word, but the one I love most and feel like we can really relate to in our lifetime is happy. These verses show you how to attain the elusive feeling that most people would say they were looking for. How many times have you heard I just want to be happy? Maybe you have thought it or even said it before yourself. Well, Jesus has given us the guide to happiness. He starts out happy are the poor in Spirit. What does it mean to have a poverty of spirit? The Greek translation refers to the word poor as a beggar, someone who has to live off the resources of others. So I viewed the message as happy are those who can’t do it on their own, but have to live off God. It made me wonder am I really poor in spirit or too much independent spirit? I ask you the same today? Are you completely surrendered to God and living off Him and His resources or are there only certain areas you have turned over to Him? Happy are the ones totally surrendered to the Lord.

Lori