Tag Archives: Pastor Ed Moreno

Pursuing The Holy Life

Pastor Ed Moreno

Pastor Ed Moreno

By Pastor Ed Moreno

A few weeks ago a young man came up to me following a Sunday morning service and asked if he could speak with me.  His heart was heavy because his sincere desire was to live righteously before God, but he found himself coming up short.

This young man is about 19 or 20 years old (let’s call him Tony); he accepted Jesus this past year, and was baptized just a few months ago.  I understood what he was feeling.  I, too, gave my life to Jesus when I was 20 and was very earnest about living a holy life, but found myself coming up short.

In a nutshell, I told this young man that God does want us to pursue a holy life.  And, theoretically, we should be able to because the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us when we accept Jesus.  But the reality is that we will find ourselves coming up short for our entire earthly life.

To be sure, if we are seeking to become like Jesus (which is God’s will for us) we will sin less, but we will never become sinless while we are here on earth.

Now, once we are in heaven, it will be a different story.  There, we won’t be tempted to sin, nor will our old sinful nature be in tow to drag us down anymore.  But what do we do betwixt and between?

Well, one of the things we can do – and that I shared with Tony – is to memorize and call upon the truth and promise of I John 1:8, 9.

What’s particularly helpful to remember is that these words were written to those who were already Christians.  In these verses, the Apostle John tells us, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus paid for all our sins, folks – past, present, and future.  We are saved by grace, and we stay saved by grace.  Aren’t you glad?  I know I am!

New Day Christian Church meets Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m.  They are located at 7155 Hamner Avenue (formerly “A” Street), at Schleisman Road next to the Fire Station.  For more information, call (951) 278-8367, or visit www.newdaycc.net.

See For Yourself

By Pastor Ed Moreno

Pastor Ed Moreno of New Day Christian Church, Eastvale

Pastor Ed Moreno of New Day Christian Church, Eastvale

Have you ever been to a funeral where the deceased stepped out of the casket?  No?  Neither have I.  But did you know that over 500 people saw Jesus alive again after three days of a confirmed biological death?

Jesus told his followers several times that he would resurrect after being killed, but they didn’t believe him – that is until he did it!

What about you, do you believe in the resurrection?  No? Why not?  If it could be shown that the historical evidence overwhelming demonstrates that Jesus did rise, would you believe in Him and follow him?

Well, guess what, the historical evidence does overwhelmingly demonstrate that he rose!

In fact, did you know that if one could disprove that the resurrection occurred, Christianity would virtually disappear overnight?  Why?  Because the resurrection of Jesus is the very foundation upon which the Christian faith stands or falls.

Listen, instead of just taking some uninformed professor’s or loved one’s word for it to the negative, why not personally check out the claims of Jesus and the evidence for his resurrection?

I mean, why risk where you’ll be spending your afterlife (and there is one, you know)?  Don’t you think eternity would be a long time to have to regret not coming to know and accept Jesus while you had the chance?

Easter Sunday is on Apr. 5.  Please consider this my personal invitation for you to come to New Day to begin that journey of checking out Jesus’ claims and the evidence for the resurrection yourself.  I’m certain that you’ll be glad you did.

New Day Christian Church meets Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m.  They are located at 7155 Hamner Avenue (formerly “A” Street), at Schleisman Road next to the Fire Station.  For more information, call (951) 278-8367, or visit http://www.newdaycc.net.

Home of the Tender Hearts

If McDonald’s is known the world over as “Home of the Big Mac,” The Lord’s Church has to be known as “Home of the Tender Hearts.”

I say this, because there are three Greek words, and their derivatives, that are used in the Bible approximately 500 times that are translated into English as “Compassion,” “Mercy,” and the like.

There are few topics or virtues that are addressed in Scripture FIVE HUNDRED TIMES. So when we come upon one of those topics or virtues, such as Compassion or Mercy, we should probably pay extra special attention to it because it is obviously ultra-important to God that we get this, understand it, and do whatever he says we are to do in relation to it.

In describing God’s own nature, King David tells us repeatedly that the Lord is compassionate (see Psalm 103:8). The great Apostle Paul tells us that God is the originator of compassion, and that compassion characterizes God (see 2 Corinthians 1:3). And so it should come as no surprise that God wants his people to emulate this virtue as well (see Zechariah 7:9).

And the kind of compassion that is to be practiced by God’s people is the same kind that Jesus practiced. It’s the kind that doesn’t just “feel” deeply at the sight of human suffering, but the kind that then “acts” to do something about the situation.

When Jesus saw the poor widow of Nain suffering over the recent loss of her only son (and probably her only child), Jesus’ heart was wrenched inside of him to the point that he acted to relieve her suffering (see Luke 7:11-17).

I’m willing to admit that my heart isn’t always tender like Jesus’ – but I want it to be.

What’s the condition of your heart?

New Day Christian Church meets Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m., and is located at 7155 Hamner Avenue in Eastvale (at A Street, next to the Fire Station).  For more information, call (951) 278-8367, or visit http://www.newdaycc.net.