From the Desk of Pastor Frank Long:
April 3, 2025
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning at shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2
This is a powerful verse, I quote it quite often. We all too often fix our eyes on things that are not beneficial, and things that will not carry us through what we're going through, but when we fix our eyes on Jesus, it changes everything.
Jesus knew what His plan was when He came to earth and it was to endure the cross, to live a sinless life, to be beaten and battered and bruised and then crucified and to go into the tomb, into hell, for 3 days and then to rise again.
He said there was a joy set before Him and what that means is that while it was not a joy to go through what He went through, it was a joy to fulfill the plan that God had for Him. You see there's joy in fulfilling the will of God in one's life, even when it is very difficult, and we will do that as long as we fix our eyes on Jesus!
When it was all said and done, Jesus took His rightful place at the right hand of the Father and is there today making intercession for us.
Thank you Jesus for the work of the cross! Thank you Jesus that you make intercessions for us! Thank you Jesus that you have made a way back to the Father!
Thank you Jesus that you are truly Lord!
An Additional Word From Pastor Frank:
March 18,2025
The things the Lord has spoken to me this year, they have been quite clear.
The church has become program oriented.
The church has become worship oriented.
The church has become; please the pastor oriented.
The church has become; show up because it's the right thing to do oriented.
The church has become; let's show up for meals oriented.
The church has become; let's go to church to see our friends oriented.
And the church has even become; let's find a way not to go to church oriented.
What the church needs to be his kingdom minded!
It's frustrating that the church that was founded in Acts chapter 2 was bent on building the kingdom of God. People showed up daily and they did what they did.
They were devoted to the pastor's teaching out of Scripture! They were devoted to taking communion to remember what Christ had done for them! They were devoted to prayer!
The bottom line is, they were devoted to Christ totally, and in that, they became kingdom-minded.
They didn't wake up and ask themselves if they should go to church, it was never a choice, they just showed up. Oh, it's cold outside, oh, my back hurts, oh, I stubbed my toe, oh, I don't feel good, those are not Kingdom minded thoughts.
I'm not saying there aren't reasons to miss sometimes, but the point of this message is that every single day that we wake up, we should be thinking about how we can further the kingdom of God.
I have been given the gift of being a pastor, I don't think about being a pastor on Saturday before church. I think about it everyday, I think about how I have to prepare the Bible study, I have to think about how I have to prepare the sermon.
I have to think about how I live each day that prepares me to get me to Saturday to do what I want to do because that's building the kingdom and that's what God has called me to do.
Church if you are not King to minded, and take this for what it is, why are you doing what you do?
Our church vision for 2025 is 1st Peter 1:16 and it says to be holy as I am holy, well if you're striving to be holy as He is holy, you will absolutely be kingdom minded.
