Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church

We’ve been looking at fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives. The Spirit is kind of a mysterious part of the Godhead and, because we cannot nail him down, we speak of him in terms of names & descriptions given in the Bible. In talking about fruit, we might think of him as a master gardener, helping us in the fruit production of our lives. But in the context of describing one fruit we...

 As Christians, we are sometimes insecure about the biblical idea of how we get to heaven, live on eternally—through resurrection from death! It is not scientifically verifiable; we don’t know any resurrected people. So it is easy to be insecure, fearful when people question it. That insecurity was the ally of the Sadducees. They rejected the supernatural—except God himself—denying angels, spirits...

 Christians aren’t always portrayed as joyful people. Yet, of all people, we should be the most joyful: we were created for joy. The Westminster Catechism asks: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” It’s TC, “theologically correct,” to be joyful! In fact, one of the greatest theologians was also one of the most joyful Christians: apostle Paul. And he best models the...

 The gifts of the Spirit are fascinating and exciting; to be a gifted person means to receive accolades. Perhaps for these reasons, the gifts of the Spirit often receive far more attention than the fruit of the Spirit. Yet it is the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit that is the mark of our progress in sanctification. Despite pentecostal fervor, we need to be reminded that the first fruit of the...

Scripture: John 6:1-14

Scripture: Romans 12:9-13

Luke 18:1-14

 God hears childlike prayers, for his Spirit searches our hearts and brings them to God (Rom. 8:26). But, as we grow as disciples, we should mature in prayer beyond this. Our prayers should still have child-like devotion, but the content of our prayers is also important. In Hebrew, the heart and mind are both expressed in the word lev, which hints at an inseparable connection between the two. So w...

 Jesus was engaged in a terminal conflict. He had entered Jerusalem as Messiah, cursed a fig tree— which subsequently withered, a symbol of the fruitlessness of Israel,—angrily cleansed Temple. Now he is surrounded by, in effect, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority?” they demanded. They were supposed to be the autho...

As Jesus comes into Jerusalem the Monday following his triumphal entry, he heads straight to the Temple. It was a scene of great religion of Judaism: elaborate sacrifices, religious ritual, laws to keep all on the straight and narrow, pious religious leaders who seemed above reproach. And especially at Passover time, Israel seemed to flourish in dedication to God and religious zeal. But Jesus, lik...

Peter and John have just healed a crippled beggar, preached the good news/bad news Gospel, been imprisoned, and confronted the Jewish Supreme Court. It was time to be recharged! They went back to the church for fellowship and they prayed together. Then they were reenergized and went back to work! Do we follow the same pattern? Do we use Sunday fellowship and worship to recharge our batteries? Do w...

Mark 10:46-52  Jesus, a popular though controversial teacher, is traveling toward Jerusalem for Passover. A large crowd grew as he neared Jerusalem, all pilgrims heading to the Passover festivities. In Jericho, Jesus encounters more pilgrims, as well as others who couldn’t attend the feast. And also priests who, as they were preparing to make their pilgrimage, likely eyed this liberal Rabbi Jesus...

Scripture: Ephesians 1:15; 3:14-21

Jesus’ disciples are at a crossroads. Jesus has set his face toward the cross in Jerusalem—and he’s trying to help his disciples set their direction in life. They had earlier fought over which of them was the “greatest” and Jesus told them to become like a child! Then a rich young man wanted to follow Jesus without paying the price, and got a lesson on humility, dependence and trust, a lesson inte...

Sin is common to us all and, regardless of its seriousness, it’s always “against the Lord” and, therefore, must be confessed. But sometimes this leaves us with questions: Am I truly repentant? Will God hear me? Will He forgive? The beauty of David’s example in Psalm 51 is that, whatever sin we’ve committed, it is probably no worse than David’s, and yet he was forgiven! Psalm 51 records David’s pra...

We live in a world that tries to impose its values on us. But Jesus preaches a different set of values for his followers, those who would truly be part of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ values are counter-values, “upside down” values, something already apparent in the previous story, where he said that the kingdom of God belonged to children (10:13-16) — they are the blueprint for an answer to this man’s q...

Prayer has deeper meaning than just talking with God; it covers a much wider range of divine-human interactions. In fact, it is hard to see where worship leaves off and prayer begins. This story is not so much about the form prayer takes as the attitudes underlying prayer. It reminds us of two attitudes always present in prayer: rejoicing and reverence.  Scripture:  2 Samuel 6 

Scripture: Romans 1:16-32

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10

 Maybe you’ve heard someone speak of “a marriage made in heaven.” Then why are so many failing? Given the alarming statistics, not to mention our own personal experiences among our families and friends, it is important to be reminded of Jesus’ teaching about marriage. And that’s what this passage is about, not divorce primarily but marriage. 

 As we continue our prayer series, we ask the question: what about prayer that doesn’t seem to get answered? That leaves us stuck in a mystery? Job deals with just such a question. Now Job had four friends who spouted to him the company line: God is just and bad things happen to bad people; therefore Job must have sinned and is being punished. If God is punishing him, Job is sure he has a case. If...

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus starts with praising and honoring God first.  The "A.C.T.S." plan for prayer begins with adoration. Some call this "prayer of a higher order."  As we grow in maturity, we should be more concerned about God's will and honoring him.  But that's not to say that personal prayer for our needs is inferior. Jesus calls us to it in the Lord&ap...

It's the day after the transfiguration of Jesus, and the three disciples excitedly descend the mountain.  They had seen Jesus' glory and heard the Father's voice.  They are now engaged in a theological discussion about Elijah and the resurrection.  But suddenly they are back in the valley, encountering a demon-possessed boy.  Relatively quickly, they've gone from the heights of...

In this passage we see Moses exercising prayer partnership with God in intercession for his idolatrous people.  But it is easy to be drawn away from his prayers by seeing the Levites slashing their way through the cowering ranks of guilty Israelites, killing 3000.  To Moses, the bloodshed wasn't comparable to the horror of the people's sin.  God had graciously delivered them from Egypt,...