I can’t believe I’m writing this, but here goes nothing: the first half of 2025 is over. It really is hard to believe we are halfway through 2025 and on the downward swing toward Labor Day, Reformation Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Before we know it, college football and deer season will be in full swing, jackets will be brought out of their summer hiding place, leaves will begin turning, and the weather will give us a break from the usual southern summer and humidity. But, until that time comes, we continue to press through the Upstate summer and deal with sometimes oppressive heat and humidity that always come each June, July, August, and much of September. As you are all well aware, July is also the month when we as Americans celebrate the freedoms we have and our independence from England beginning July 4, 1776. This is always a great time to be thankful for our political freedom but also serves as a time when we can remember and celebrate a freedom that is much more precious, namely, our freedom in Christ, a freedom discussed by Paul in Galatians 5:1: “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” This freedom is assuredly not political freedom as the majority of Christians in the world do not live in politically free nations. The freedom discussed by Paul is freedom from the necessary works of the law found throughout the Old Testament. For this freedom we should be continually thankful and remind others of how thankful we are, and finding hope, not in our national freedoms, but in Christ alone (Rom 5:1-5; 1 Pet 3:15).
Continuing our monthly time together in God’s Word brings us this month to 1 John 4:17-21. In the closing verses of chapter 4, the apostle remains steadfast in his discussion of God’s love, how that love impacts the believer personally, and how that love impacts the believer as he interacts with others. Notice 4:17 and John’s assurance, through the Holy Spirit, of confidence in our salvation. We have assurance of salvation because of the love of God which remains in us, not because of our works, but due solely to his grace. How do we know we have God’s love in us? If we can love others with a selfless love, then God’s love is in us. Without God’s love in us giving us the ability to love others, we would not be able to love anyone other than ourselves (4:19). There is also no fear found in God’s love because, as John notes, fear involves the threat of punishment and, for those who are found in God’s love, punishment has been fully taken by Christ’s atonement (4:18). These are the personal impacts of the love of God. The impact of God’s love for the believer’s interactions with others is seen in 4:20-21. Put succinctly, our words should match our actions. While Romans 12:18 commands, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone,” we see the command in 1 John is written to believers about believers because John mentions brothers and sisters, terms used in the New Testament to refer to fellow Christians. If we claim to love God but do not love those who have also been saved by the blood of Christ, John declares us liars. Again, our words should match our actions. Brothers and sisters, may each of us, as much as it depends on us, work toward loving fellow Christians in the way that God loves us.
As we have been doing, please continue praying for each other (1 Thess 5:17) and for the other churches in our Association. I want to encourage you strongly to pray for each other, other pastors, and sister congregations in our area as we work together to encourage pastors and equip churches to engage lostness for the sake of fulfilling our part of the Great Commission. Lift each of these pastors and congregations to the Father, asking for His providential care for them and for His mercy and grace to work mightily through them.
Renfrew, Travelers Rest, Michael Baker
Resurrection, Greer, Bradley Cox
Ridgewood, Greer, Trevor Hoffman
Riverside, Greer, Chris Jackson
Rock Springs, Landrum, Randy Smith
Shiloh, Marietta, Chad Hastings
Southside, Greer, Jeremiah Oliver
Taylors First, Taylors, Josh Powell
Tigerville, Tigerville, Joshua Gilmore My prayer for you for July is the same as always. May the Lord grant each of us opportunities to share the message of Christ with unbelievers and disciple believers in the message of Christ. As an association of churches, we partner together for the sake of encouraging and equipping each other in order to engage lostness for the sake of fulfilling our part of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).
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