Messages

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel Blanchard looks at Psalm 40:1-3 and reminds us of the hope that comes from knowing that God is our Redeemer.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: The Most Difficult Instrument In The OrchestraBy Dr. Rick Mandl on September 11, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. This past weekend, as part of our “Stay Positive” series, we looked at the importance of encouragement. We saw that God is the ultimate encourager. And that in order for us to be like him, we need to grow in our ability to encourage others. If I were ask you, to name for me, an individual in the Bible who you think of when you think of encouragement, I wonder who would you name?
 
There might be a number of different names that could populate your list. You might think of Jonathan for the ways in which he provided encouragement to King David. Or maybe Aaron for the ways that he encouraged his brother Moses. But suppose I said, okay there ARE many encouragers in the Bible, but give me the one name that stands out head and shoulders above the rest… If you thought about that for a moment, you might suggest that of course it’s got to be… Joseph. You know the apostle Joseph, from the tribe of Levi, who came from the island of Cyprus. You hear me say that, and you might counter with… Actually Pastor Rick, I wasn’t going to name this guy Joseph, that you’re talking about. In fact, I’ve never even heard of him. I was going to name “Barnabas”. The guy we meet in the book of Acts. The guy whose very name means “Son of Encouragement.” At which point I would say, “You’re right!” “Same guy.”
 
In Acts chapter 4 we read about how those first followers of Jesus were known for their generosity. And one example is this guy we’re talking about – Joseph -er Barnabas. Acts 4:36 (NLT) tells us, “For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.” From this point on in the book of Acts, every time that we meet Joseph the Levite, from the island of Cyprus, he’s simply known as “Barnabas – the Son of Encouragement.” And almost every time we see him, we see him encouraging someone else.
 
One of the first examples was the Apostle Paul, who had been known as Saul, who before he met Jesus, was most famous as the persecutor of the first Christians. Saul was so committed to his task of persecuting Christians that he was willing to leave Jerusalem and hunt down Christians wherever he could find them and bring them back and throw them in prison. It was on one of those fishing trips that he met the resurrected Jesus (you can read all about it in Acts chapter 9) and that meeting changed everything. Paul the persecutor, became a follower of Jesus Christ. Which was great for him, and great for the future of the church, but at first no one believed that Saul’s conversion was real. They thought that maybe it was some clever con-job to try and gain the trust of the Christians so that he could infiltrate their ranks and arrest more of them.
 
In fact, Acts 9:26 tells us, “When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him.” They did not believe he had truly become a believer! It’s at this point that we see Joseph… er Barnabas, step us on behalf of Saul. Acts 9:27 tells us, “Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.” Barnabas stood up for Paul when he needed someone to stand up for him. He encouraged Paul by believing in him – by trusting that he had really changed. These two became partners in missionary work together. In fact, when you first read of these two together, Barnabas’ name is listed first. You know why? It’s because he was the major-leaguer and Paul was the rookie–until you get to Acts 13. From that point on, it’s no longer Barnabas and Paul. From that point on it’s “Paul and Barnabas.” I love this: Barnabas saw a need and pushed Paul up higher and higher until Barnabas himself became less significant. The truth is – – – If we didn’t have a Barnabas, we wouldn’t have Paul.
 
Encouragement is a needed gift, and it goes a long way. I started out by talking to you about Joseph, from the tribe of Levi, who came from the island of Cyprus who was so much known for his encouragement that they renamed him – they gave him the nickname – son of Encouragement. I wonder if the people who know you best were going to rename you, and, as a result, from this point forward they were going to refer to you by your most visible character trait, what would that be? hat can be a pretty humbling thought when we stop to think about it. I pray that the nickname they gave you, would be one that they gave you, because of an area of your life where they see that you are a lot like Jesus. Amen.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: When You Need A Place To Run ToBy Dr. Rick Mandl, September 10, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. Are you familiar with the “Cities of Refuge?” Read through Numbers chapters 35 and 36 and you’ll see that before the Children of Israel entered the land of promise that God was giving to them, God has a few more instructions to give them. He tells them that after they enter the land they are to choose cities which will allow a person who has killed another unintentionally to have a place to flee from those who would want to avenge the death of their relative. The idea was that the relatives of the person who died had the right to take vengeance upon the one who killed their relative. But, if it was an accident, the killer could flee to the nearest city of refuge. Once he arrived there, his case would be heard with the high priest presiding. If the person was, indeed, found to be innocent he was allowed to live, as long as he stayed within the walls of the city, until the death of the high priest.
 
The Bible continually tells us that God is our Refuge. Psalm 46:1 reminds us, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” You and I don’t have to flee to a city of refuge, because God, our Refuge, is present with us at all times. We do not have an impersonal God who is too busy to care about the daily needs of His children. Instead, He is available to us 24/7 to lead, comfort, and guide.
 
In addition to this we have the Holy Spirit living within our hearts who guides and directs us. We have a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at God’s right hand and makes intercession for us. And, in addition to all of this, God the Father is available at all times to hear our prayers.
 
I encourage you to think of Numbers 35 and Numbers 36 and be reminded today, that, as a follower of Jesus Christ, your Refuge is right there beside you wherever you go this day.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl explains what intercessory prayer is, and how God can use it to help us become the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Judy Mandl unpacks 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and provides us with practical pointers for integrating prayer into every aspect of our lives.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” We learn a lot from the examples that others set for us. This is why the Apostle Paul was not afraid to say “You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor.11:1) Pastor Andrew continues his examination of Philippians chapter 2 and shows us that Paul provides us with another example to follow.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Prayer can be challenging for a lot of us. Where do we start? What do we pray about? How can we make sure that our times spent in prayer are more than a laundry list of requests that we repeat without thinking every time we pray? Judy Mandl shares a simple pattern for prayer that helps us balance our own concerns with a healthy dose of worship and thanksgiving.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” How To Hear God SpeakTuesday, September 8, 2020
 
Hey church family. It was exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt that they arrived and set up camp at the base of Mount Sinai. You can read the whole story in Exodus 19. We’re told that… On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. The Bible goes on to say that, “ All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.” This is one example, from the Bible, of one of the ways in which God speaks – but we shouldn’t use this as the only model of how he speaks.
 
In Job 33:13, Job said… “God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.”  When God spoke to the prophet Elijah, Elijah was expecting some miraculous, earth-shattering, fire-filled experience – – maybe he was expecting to hear God the same way that Moses heard him on Mt. Sinai. But instead God spoke to him in a “gentle whisper.” And it’s often the same for us today. But to hear that whisper we need to be still, and listen.
 
Hebrews 1 tells us… Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God continues to speak to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, And because of what He’s done for us at the cross, we don’t have to wait at the base of a mountain while someone else, goes up the mountain on our behalf and then comes down to tell us what He’s said. “Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us at the cross, we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, where we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
 
I pray that we will be taking Him up on that invitation today.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Do you struggle with prayer? Reflecting on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6, Judy Mandl reminds us that talking to God in prayer doesn’t need to be any more difficult than having a conversation with a friend.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” The Power Of Unconditional LoveMonday, September 7, 2020 
Hey church family. COVID 19 has touched each of us in different ways. Here at the church it means we can’t minister in the same ways that we have ministered throughout the 90+ years of our church’s presence here on this corner. That’s obvious when it comes to things like not being able to meet in person for our weekend worship services. But something you don’t see, is that we also can’t visit those in our congregation who in the hospital – because it’s not allowed –  sometimes that’s done to protect us – sometimes it’s done to protect them.
 
This past Sunday night we had one of our ERBC Zoom prayer meetings. And with us on that call was a member of our church family who was joining us from his bed at Kaiser Sunset where he’s been admitted with COVID-19. I was so glad that he was on that call, because not only did it allow him to pray with us, and others in our church for all the things we were praying for, but it gave us an opportunity to pray with and for him. It’s hard when pastors can’t visit church members in the hospital. Harder still is when family members can’t visit members of their own family who are in the hospital. And it’s even harder when you’re not talking about a hospital, from which most people are released after a short stay, but rather a nursing home where people are often living out the rest of their lives.
 
This week I was reading about a man names Jack Eccles. Jack Eccles is a longtime Baptist pastor with two doctoral degrees. And he’s also someone who I would describe as a life-long learner. I say that because even at the age of ninety-three, Jack Eccles is still learning. He is currently learning German and recently posted a sermon to YouTube. His wife of seventy years, Gerry, is the mother of their nine children. Five years ago, in 2015 Gerry was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and as a result lives in a nursing home in North Carolina.
 
Earlier this year, on March 12, Jack Eccles arrived at the nursing home, just like he did every day to visit his wife and to spend much of the day with her. But on this day he couldn’t visit. On this day he was turned away because of the coronavirus. Not willing to take no for an answer, the next day Jack returned with a suitcase of clothes, his books, his medications, and his computer. The nursing home had agreed to rent him a single room so he could care for his wife Gerry. As I said, that was March 12. He has been there ever since.
 
Wearing a mask and goggles, he feeds his wife three times a day, checks to be sure she gets her required forty ounces of liquid a day, and wipes drips so they don’t stain her clothes. He positions Gerry’s head and neck carefully to be sure she doesn’t choke. Their profile in the Wall Street Journal is an inspiring story of love, family, and ministry. In it, Dr. Eccles explains his care for his wife simply by saying, “We’re married. I want to be with her. She took care of me for seventy years, and now it’s my turn.”
 
Jack and Gerry Eccles are a powerful example of a true Christian marriage: a lifelong, unconditional covenant between a man and a woman. As I was thinking about the marriage that they have built, I realized that if through the years they had only focused on their marriage for only an hour once a week and a few minutes each day, there is no way that their relationship could not be the love story it is today. The Bible tells us that as Christians we are the “bride” of Christ. If we focus on our “Spouse” for only an hour each week for worship, and maybe a few minutes each day for prayer and Bible study, how strong will our relationship be?
 
Believing in God is one thing; having a relationship with Him is another. Just like a marriage, having a relationship with God takes effort and time. When we prioritize our relationship with God, just like we would with our spouse, we can experience the benefits of a relationship that’s not just special but extraordinary.