Enote From Pastor Andy 8-29-19

August 29, 2019

Dear Eastridge Family,

Have you ever considered how you would answer the question, “What is the purpose and mission of Eastridge?”  We talk about making disciples.  We talk about the privilege and power of prayer.  We talk about worship.  What do we do that no other church can or will do?  Is there anything unique to Eastridge Church of the Nazarene?

Recently came across a letter in John Wesley’s journal that caused me to stop and pause and think about his words.  On February 8, 1766 John Wesley, the key founder of the Wesleyan/Methodist/Nazarene tradition, wrote a letter to one of the early Methodist preachers.  After the brief greeting of “My Dear Brother” he got straight to the point.

Where Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and, consequently, little addition to the society, and little life in the members of it.  Therefore, if Jacob Rowell is grown faint, and says but little about it, do you supply his lack of service.  Speak and spare not.  Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God.  Till you press the believers to expect full salvation now, you must not look for any revival.

In a time when the need for the revival in the church in America seems as obvious as ever, what would John Wesley say about the prospects of revival?  Based on the above letter, he would say we have no right to expect revival because we have not been pressing Christians to expect full salvation now.

As Wesley looked back over the more than fifty years of Methodism and thought about the work that he had seen God do during these years, he zeroed in on one particular doctrine as the key explanation for why God had done this surprising thing in his lifetime.  The belief in entire sanctification, or full sanctification, was the reason for Methodism.

Methodism exists because God gave us a particular corporate calling – to preach and teach that through faith in Jesus Christ it is possible experience full salvation from sin’s power in your life.  The Church of the Nazarene was started in 1908 when church leaders felt like the Methodist church had lost it way and failed to preach full salvation.

How are we doing today?  Has the Church of the Nazarene lost its way?  Has Eastridge Church failed to preach and teach full salvation from the guilt and power of sin? 

May we never stop preaching and teaching Christian Perfection.  God’s grace is greater than all of our sin, not just in the future but right here and right now.

• This Saturday we will have some special training in Spanish for teachers and leaders starting at noon and lasting until 5pm.  Please contact Pastor Eva for more information.

•  New membership class will begin this Sunday, September 1st during Sunday School. If you are interested, you can talk to Pastor Andy or Pastor Eva.

• On Saturday September 7^th starting at 10am we will have van driver’s training and teacher training that will last until noon

• ALPHA small group study will start Sunday, September 8th at 5pm at the fellowship.  Tim Bertrand will lead the class.

• We are having Evangelist David Martinez come September 13^th-15^th  for some special services designed to encourage spiritual renewal.  Reverend Martinez is a young evangelist who currently lives in Southern California but is originally from New York City.  Reverend Martinez does most of his ministry in Hispanic churches in the US but also, he travels frequently to Mexico, Cuba, and several countries in Central America.  Our first service with Rev. Martinez will be on Friday evening September 13^th @7pm.  He will speak again on Saturday the 14^th at 6pm and again on Sunday morning during our worship time and that evening at 6pm.

Make these special services a matter of prayer that we might draw closer to God and that we might see a revival begin here at Eastridge.

• Sunday School and Missions invite each Eastridge member to be part of the big outreach church wide: MISSION POSSIBLE. It will be on Saturday, September 28th from 11 am to 3pm at our church. We will have inflatable games, cotton candy, snow cones, and Bible stories. This will give us the great opportunity to carry out the great mission of sharing the Good News.  How?  Praying, inviting, being part of the work before the event, during the event and after the event.  More details will be given this Sunday at church.