May We Each Be Found Faithful

It was a privilege to attend the Memorial Service for Steve Fernandez this past Saturday.  Tim and Willie Ingrum joined Laurie and me, along with over 1000 other folks.  Though the service of course concerned Steve, the distinct focus was on the Lord Jesus, and His gracious work in and through Steve’s life.  Video of the entire service is online here.  It was lengthy (2 ¾ hours!), but very edifying and encouraging.

 

Among many biblical truths that have been on my mind regarding Steve, one of the prominent ones is 1 Cor. 3:5-9:

 

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

 

 

It is right to honor and appreciate the people whom God uses (1 Thess. 5:12-13), but it is equally right to worship and adore the God who uses people (Rom. 11:33-36)!  As every single believer is a unique steward of God’s varied grace 1 Pet. 4:10-11, He calls us to faithfully labor and serve together for His glory in Jesus Christ.

 

By God’s grace, Steve was a marvelous example, albeit imperfectly, of Christ-exalting faithfulness.  May we each be found so faithful, until the day that Christ returns, or we go to be with Him.

 

Because He lives,

Greg

To Live is Christ, and to Die is Gain

As most of you know, our brother Pastor Steve Fernandez entered glory in the presence of Jesus this last Sunday evening, March 31.  What a way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

 

By God’s power, Steve faithfully lived, and often quoted (even in his final days), these words from the Apostle Paul in Phil. 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  To strengthen your understanding and embracing of this powerful resolve, let me encourage you to read, think upon, and pray through the following:

 

 

Brothers and sisters, each of our lives on this earth will one day end, either by death, or our Lord’s return.  May the Lord enable each of us to truly live with this same Christ-exalting resolve!

 

Because He lives,

Greg