Reason #4 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  FRIENDS.  (Church is a great place to be with friends and to make new friends.  (Or, you can sit at home on Sunday morning and watch reruns of Brady Bunch on Netflix.)  Being with friends is one of the greatest gifts from God in life.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have good return for their labor.  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help him up.”  I may be a bit old fashioned, but the “friends” I have on Facebook are fun and interesting, but they don’t necessarily become my closest friends.  Our closest friends are the ones we spend time with in person.  I love to see people talking and hanging out together at church.  It’s such a good and natural meeting place.  Plus, if someone is at church like you, there is a really good chance they are seeking good things, not bad, and are the kind of people you want to spend time with.  Proverbs 13:20 warns, “Those who walk with the wise grow wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”  Church is a great place to find friends.  (Oh, and by the way, I met my wife at church!).

Reason #3 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD MORE FULLY.  Sometimes we get so busy with the different aspects of our lives, it seems we can’t see God or hear from God very easily.  That’s not surprising.  But when we gather together in fellowship we are better able to focus on the reality and presence of God.  I believe that’s what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 18:20… “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”  This is a very famous Bible verse with a very important concept.  God hasn’t changed his address… He’s everywhere, all the time.  But when we come together in His name, our experience of Him is greater.  And we certainly need more of God in our lives!  In Acts 2:42-43, the early church believers had this same experience… “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe…”  Why were they filled with awe?  Because when they came together they could help each other see the amazing, all-consuming glory of God.

Reason #2 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  SUNDAY IS THE LORD’S DAY.  People often wonder why Christians meet on Sunday and why we call it the LORD’S DAY.  The answer is because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday.  So, when we gather together as a church, just by our very gathering, we are honoring Jesus.  Luke writes in Acts 20:7… “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”  He’s referring to the early church.  They gathered on the first day of the week, Sunday.  Why?  In commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection.  When we honor Christ by making sure to worship Him on Sunday, we are setting our hearts and our minds on the best thing possible:  God.  Matthew 6:33 says this… “Seek ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  Gathering to worship God on Sunday, the first day of the week, is a way of showing God He is first in our lives.  Everything else will fall into place after that!

Reason #1 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  YOU WILL FIND ETERNAL HOPE.  Thinking about God and the things of eternity are very important aspects of our present sense of hope and wellness.  The Bible says that "God has planted eternity in the human heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  It's natural for us to want to think about things that will last forever.  When we spend more time thinking about the things that will never end, like God and heaven and God's kingdom, then we tend to be more at peace and less anxious.  Our greatest hope, of course, is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  

1 John 5:11 says this... "And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son."

Pastor Marcus, West Hills Community Church

9 Reasons Why Legalizing Marijuana Was A Really Bad Idea

1.  It’s a fool’s game.  The house always wins.  If you believe the lie that drugs are good for you and for society you’ve been duped.  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:18-19, “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”  Just because many people say it’s right, doesn’t make it right.  Mind altering drugs seem like a great idea at the beginning, but they always lead to detrimental consequences.  So don’t play the fool!

2.  Investors just want your money.  In the spring of 2016, it became legal for investors outside the state of Oregon to invest in Oregon marijuana companies.  This will likely fuel the growth of sales in Oregon quite dramatically.  Investors are poised, ready and waiting to take your money away from you by addicting you to pot.  The investors are culpable and unscrupulous in their desire to make money off your addictions.

3.  Governments just want your money.  In the end, governments tend to find new and creative ways to fund themselves.  It’s a devilish alliance.  You get to do whatever sinful behavior you want, as long as you pay the tax collector.  It’s double jeopardy.  They get your money, and they harm you in the process.

4.  The government is not a moral compass.  As much as governments want to do what’s right, in a democracy, the government is subject to the will of the people.  Which means that if enough people agree to sin, then the government can enshrine that sin in their laws.  Legalizing marijuana is just such a case.

5.  Don’t be drunk with wine.  The great Bible command in Ephesians 5:18 reveals an important Bible principle… Do not allow your mind to be altered by drugs.  Drugs are an easy road to happiness, with a dead end consequence.  The fun is short-lived, and the physical outcomes can be horrible.  The verse continues… “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.  Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (NLT).  The solution for true happiness is spiritual and inward, not physical and chemical.

6.  Your health matters.  What you put into your body makes a big difference for long term health.  Incorrect use of drugs harms your body.  It’s simple.  Which makes a person really wonder why legalizing a mind-altering drug is a smart idea by a so-called “first-world,” democratic society.  The Bible warns in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20… “Do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore, honor God with your body.”

7.  Inhaling marijuana smoke is just as bad for your body as cigarette smoke.  Why has our society suddenly deemed marijuana smoking to be a good choice, while at the same time we’ve been fighting so hard to curtail carcinogenic cigarette smoking?  It’s nonsense.

8.  Marijuana is a gateway drug.  Of course, anyone who uses marijuana will reject this claim.  And for many it may not be true.  But for others it is true.  And it’s true simply because, oftentimes, where marijuana is used, other drugs are used.  It is a “first choice” when experimenting with drugs, to be followed by more dangerous choices.  But to say that not everyone takes the next step does not make the first step right.

9.  Children and youth will get hurt.  The legalization of marijuana is stated to be only for those who are legal adults.  That sounds nice.  But it winks at the truth.  The truth is that irresponsible adults can more easily purchase and sell to minors.  Of course, adults have always solicited kids to buy pot.  Now it’s just easier for the adults to get… and then sell.  Making pot legal doesn’t slow the flow of drugs to kids, it makes it easier.

Pastor Marcus Elmer

West Hills Community Church

(For a personal response to the legalization of marijuana, please see my article, “Stupid Pot – Why Not Legalize Marijuana?”  at westhillscc.com/pastors-articles )

Stupid Pot - A personal response to legalized marijuana

I was overcome with concern yesterday as I listened to an hour-long radio program hosted live at the grand opening of the new Vancouver, WA store “Main Street Marijuana.”  The hype and the positivity about the legalization of recreational pot was deeply painful for me in a very personal way.

In my early teen years I experimented with dope, as did many of my friends, which led me into numerous seductive environments and experiences.  It was all so much fun at first… the allure of feeling “grown up” by smoking and getting high… the sensation of independence from authority…  the rock music culture, with power concerts and free drugs.  It was all so seductive and enticing.

The memories of that utterly stupid time in my life all come crashing back into my mind when I hear the ridiculously naïve reports about the importance of legalizing marijuana.

Here are some of my random thoughts which arrive in my mind within nano-seconds…

1.  Marijuana is a gateway drug.  Proponents of safe pot use are so quick to reject this truth as old fashioned and uninformed.  That’s just simply deceptive.   To a 13-year old, pot was the perfect gateway drug.  But it wasn’t a gateway because of its addictive nature.  It was a gateway because of its culture.  Where there is pot, there is always other stuff.  Just in my short, 2-year experience during the stupid years, I was introduced to and tried: cigarettes, alcohol, amphetamines, inhalants and cocaine.  And that was just my experience as a 13-year old, 8^th grade student in a suburban grade school.  And I appropriately hid my experimentation from anyone whose opinion really mattered to me.

But let me say again, I first came into contact with this subculture of people via my desire to experiment with pot… because pot was “harmless.”

2.  Pot use perpetuates drug culture.  My first purchase of dope was a clandestine meeting in the janitor’s closet of my grade school.  I had been told that the janitor was dealing and I could get whatever I wanted for the right price.  I arranged a meeting with him (in the closet), and the deal was done.  I was 13 years old, for goodness sake!  And he was an adult (at least by age).  He encouraged me to buy the pot, and then to consider purchasing other drugs from him, as well.  So the point isn’t that the meeting was clandestine.  The point is that this adult had an agenda.  His agenda was for me to enjoy the experience so that he could sell me more the next time.  And if I would try harder drugs, then all the better.  It wouldn't have mattered to him if it was legal or illegal.

Legalizing marijuana sounds like such a great economic idea.  The state will benefit because of the taxes earned.  The drug smugglers from Mexico and elsewhere will be run out of town.  And, to top it off, legal pot sales will create new jobs.  Unfortunately, what will also happen is that more and more people will be sucked into a culture that encourages drug use and addiction and a new dependent economy will be developed, akin to bars, strip clubs and the lottery.  So, yay!  It’s legal now.  You are legally in bondage to yet another substance.

3.  Smoking dope is self-serving.  If the above two dynamics surrounding the simple participation with smoking dope are true (and my personal experience has shown me they are), then any promotion of this drug, whether legal or illegal is simply self-serving.   It is self-serving because harm to others is intrinsic in its nature.  Drug dispensaries like Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver, WA say it’s harmless if used in the privacy of your own home.  But it is never that simple.  Friends are influenced, family is influenced, children are influenced by even the slightest remark or the mildest comment.  And as that door is opened, others are invited in.  In my experience, people who use dope or any other kind of mind altering drug can’t stay silent about it.  They sing its praises.  They tell others of their experience.  And when they do, they harm them.  They harm them.  It’s selfish.  The American Way.  Moral concern is subordinated to free choice.

All of the above I write without once quoting a Bible verse… and I’m a pastor.  But just for good measure, this should suffice:   “… the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-20)  Putting mind altering drugs into our bodies is like pouring mud on the altar of a church.  Our bodies are a temple!  We should take care of them.  So why is the government in the business of helping us ruin them?  It makes me wonder what the true interest of the government is.

When I was 14, the stupid years thankfully ended.  I met a young girl who invited me to church.  I had no interest in church or God or Jesus.  I only went to be with her.  But I discovered something right away that was wonderfully different from the drug culture I had gotten mixed up with.  I discovered people who truly cared and didn’t just want me for my money.  And what I found amongst these people was a Spirit of joy… capital “S”.  It was God’s Spirit.  They quickly told me about how much God loved me; He loved me so much He was willing to die for me on the cross.

So ended the stupid years… thanks only to God.  And no thanks to the drug peddling, self-absorbed nut-cases that say a little bit of sin is okay.  A little pot.  A little buzz.  Just a little.  It will be okay.

Just one bite of the apple.

I want to be like Andrew

Thirty-three years ago, in the spring, something very important happened to me late one night.  I was at a high school dance, having spent most of the evening with a young girl whom I had just met.  I never knew her before that night.  As the evening was coming to a close I nervously asked for her phone number so I could see her again sometime.  She politely refused.  But then she did something that would forever change the course of my life.  She invited me to her youth group.  She was (appropriately) unwilling to give me her phone number, but she quickly took the chance to invite me to her church youth night.  SHE KNEW.  She knew that I would find something good there.  SHE KNEW.  And she was not shy to invite me.

I came that first Sunday night to her youth group.  And then I came again… and again… and again.  For three and a half years, the rest of my high school days, I came faithfully every Sunday night.  Why?  Because I found Jesus there, just like the young girl KNEW I would. 

In John chapter one, Jesus’ first disciples KNEW that they had discovered the Messiah.  They knew that they had found the Christ.  And they began to follow this Jesus.  They began to hear him teach and watch him love.  THEY KNEW… and they worshiped. 

One of those disciples was named Andrew.  Andrew was excited that he had found the long-awaited Christ.  And so, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon Peter and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’  And Andrew brought Simon to Jesus.”  (John 1:41-42)  Peter came to Jesus that day and discovered what Andrew had already discovered… that this Jesus was the Messiah, and he did have the answers that they were looking for in their lives.

Peter later became part of Jesus’ inner circle of three (Peter, James and John).  And eventually, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter became the first leader of the Jerusalem church.  He was a profound teacher and pioneer of the faith.  So we talk a lot about Peter.  Peter authored one of the New Testament Epistles.  We look back on Peter’s work as foundational to the early church movement.  3,000 people were saved when Peter preached in Acts chapter 2.

But we don’t usually remember Andrew.  Without Andrew there would have been no Peter leading the way.  Without Andrew, Peter might never have met Jesus.   Andrew did what was so natural in the outworking of his excitement… HE INVITED SOMEONE!

When I was invited to church thirty-three years ago in 1979, I had no idea what I would discover.  It was just a way to meet a girl.  I had other interests, other worries going on in my life.  I wasn’t trying to find God.  Far from it.  But amazingly, I discovered something I wasn’t even looking for.  So, when I look back, I say THANK YOU GOD that someone had enough excitement about Jesus to invite me to come and see.

On Easter Sunday, we’ll be worshipping Jesus, the One who we’re excited about.  There will be a positive message of victory and strength for life.  There will be joy.  There will be the power of the resurrection.  Why not be like Andrew and invite a friend or family member to come see what all the fuss is about?

Pastor Marcus