It looks like a regular cell phone. It’s the same size, same shape, same overall appearance. But beneath the digital face lies a .22 caliber pistol, a gun capable of firing bullets with a touch of the otherwise standard keypad. It introduce the possibility for surprise and deception, with potentially disastrous results. In like manner every day, many church-goers pretend to be something they are not, professing to be Christians, while living dishonestly or immorally. And non-church- going folks know who these hypocrites are. That’s why many of them don’t go to church. But Paul the Apostle warned, “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” I am glad, though, that there are real Christians. Your Bible will show you how you can become one too!

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Last month, Candidate Donald Trump created a stir by saying that if abortion were to become illegal in the USA, women who have one, should be punished. Later he tried to clarify what he meant. Courts make hundreds of decisions each year that are considered questionable by many. So the question is asked, “Just because something is legally permissible, does that make it morally justifiable? “Just because everybody is doing it does that make it right?” These are logical questions and must be answered. Ours is a permissive society. But God’s Word deals with absolutes. Every action has a consequence. And God’s Word says, “the wages of sin is death…” However it also says, “…but the gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Please think about that today.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“What decides the purpose of life is simply the programme of the pleasure principle,” said Sigmund Freud. After 100 years of promoting the importance of the pleasure principle, indeed over-promoting it, today we have become devotees at its shrine. In this frightening complex world, many people try to calm their fears with earthly pleasure and self-indulgence. Solomon tried it hundreds of years ago, writing “whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,” only to conclude, “There was no profit under the sun.” But the Psalmist was inspired to urge us to turn to God for true pleasure, writing, “You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Jesus is the only way to God.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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The English language is full of paradoxes. For instance, there is no ham in hamburgers, neither is there apple or pine in pineapple. We park in driveways and drive on a parkway. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads are meat. A wise guy is different than a wise man, and so on. Our language is a bit crazy. And when trying to express ourselves, we often don’t say what we mean or mean what we say. God doesn’t. His Word is clear, definite, flawless and eternal. He says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”So let’s not try to tell God what’s right and wrong. Or consider this- “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” So let’s not be spiritual dummies. Please-study your Bible. You’ll find it refreshingly straightforward.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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An extremely rare copy of Shakespeare’s “First Folio” has been discovered in a library of a nineteenth century Scottish mansion. The book published in 1623 has been verified as authentic. Emma Smith, professor of Shakespeare Studies, Oxford University said “It was there in plain sight but nobody quite knew what it was.” We too often overlook obvious blessings. One is our God inspired Bible. The Psalmist reminds us, ”I rejoice at Your Word, as one who finds great treasure.” And our Lord said that His Word “…is truth.” Perhaps in your home there is a Bible handed down to you that is gathering dust. Is it time for you to “discover” it again? In that great book you can learn how to be be forgiven and become a member of God’s family. Please study your Bible. It can change your life.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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The headline said “Broken hearts at a higher risk of failing.” It referred to a recent study of nearly a million people showing that the death of a life partner may trigger the risk of dying of a broken heart. This study parallels the death of Jesus, demonstrating His great love for us all. John, in his gospel, wrote, “when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead…one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” Dr. Truman Davis, writes, “We, therefore, have rather conclusive post-mortem evidence that Our Lord died, not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure…” heart failure that began… in the garden…continued to build when he was rejected by many of his disciples and came to utter fruition when his people nailed him to a cross.” Oh how He loves you and me!.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Imagine opening your mailbox to discover how likely it is that you will have a heart attack or develop cancer! Some people are already taking genetic testing to determine their risks. Dr. David Agus, renowned cancer specialist says, “Yes, it can make you afraid, but at the same time it empowers you.” Regarding our spiritual state, God has already made a diagnosis. He tells us that “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.” And further, that “there is none righteous, no not one” in God’s eyes. This too, makes us afraid, but it also empowers us. And it enables us to take action about our condition and realize that though the wages of our sin is spiritual death, “the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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It is said that when Mary Mitchell, known as the Queen of the Gypsies, died, she was buried with all the traditional gypsy ceremony, including a necklace of fifty dollar gold pieces and thousand dollar bills. Why the money? To pay her way into heaven. Many today hold this same belief, thinking they can earn their way into heaven. This is often done by generous gifts to charity and a litany of good works. Sadly, this is mission impossible. God, in mercy, sent His Son the Lord Jesus to earth. He bore our sins on that old cross, providing the only way to heaven. As He died, He cried out, “It is finished,” indicating that the price has been paid, and our salvation is a gift. Paul explained – “By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God…”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Recently an Ontario man was sentenced to ten years in prison for driving while drunk, killing three children and their grandfather. Impaired driving has long been a serious and dangerous distraction. Now distracted driving, or texting, has been added to the priorities of traffic enforcement, with very large fines if convicted. If our attention is on a phone rather than the road, we are inviting disaster. And as we travel through life, we also can be distracted and permit other things to become more important than our relationship with God. So many today live as though there were no tomorrow, no God, no meeting with the One to Whom we must one day give account. Is it not time for all of us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”? Is it not time to “prepare to meet” our God? We do that by recognizing our spiritual bankruptcy and inviting Christ into our lives.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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In 1781, the planet Uranus was discovered, followed by Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930. But since the Kepler Space Telescope was launched in 2009, exploration of the universe has expanded rapidly. At present 2,300 planets that orbit a star outside the solar system, called exoplanets, have been found. In the past one hundred years, knowledge has increased more than in all previous time combined. And that is exactly as the Bible prophesied. Daniel wrote in his time, thousands of years ago, “…many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” How did he know? He was inspired by God, just as the rest of the Bible is. You and I can trust that wonderful, authentic book, God’s Word, and we can trust the Saviour it presents to us. When we acknowledge our sin and invite Him into our lives, we become His followers. He shows us how to live this life, and how to be prepared for the next.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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