“Genesis” means “beginning”. It’s an appropriate word for the first book of the Bible because Genesis describes the beginning of everything—except God, of course.

Knowing where we started makes all the difference in the world. According to Genesis we were created in the image of God with meaning and purpose and we have a future rooted in our God-given value and purpose.

In this series of messages Pastor Shaun LePage will lead us in a clear, worshipful, verse by verse look at the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Join us as we rediscover our history as human beings as well as our meaning, value and purpose. 

Genesis Resources:

(Note: Though we cannot endorse every detail of every view you will hear and read through the following resources, these generally reflect our views regarding the interpretation of Genesis and the scientific issues related.)

• Listen to Pastor LePage’s overview of the Book of Genesis available for free on the CBC Podcast.
• Messages already preached in this series available for free on the CBC Podcast.
• Questions about Creation from gotquestions.org. Hundreds of questions related to Genesis and Science are addressed here. The answers are brief, yet excellent. 
• Soniclight. Dr. Tom Constable—Bible Exposition Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary—provides a free, on-line extensive verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis.
• The NET Bible Study Environment provides extensive notes—along with the New English Translation—that explain the issues involved in translating Genesis from the original Hebrew.
• Bible.org provides several articles covering everything from the overall message of Genesis to verse-by-verse commentary.
• Answers in Genesis. Providing answers to questions surrounding science and the book of Genesis. Their “Genesis” page is particularly helpful.
• The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel. About Lee Strobel’s journey from spiritual skepticism to a profound faith in the God who has etched his indelible signature upon every galaxy and living cell. This DVD is available in the CBC Library. Watch the introduction on YouTube.
• The Privileged Planet by Illustra Media. An amazing look at the incredible uniqueness of Earth. Watch the introduction on YouTube.
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Life by Illustra Media. Tells the story of contemporary scientists who are advancing the theory of intelligent design. Watch the introduction on YouTube.

Christmas and New Year’s are almost here! We hope you can join us for all of our worship celebrations.

Christmas Eve (Saturday at 7 p.m.)

We invite you to join us for a simple remembrance of what Christmas truly is all about. We will sing, read the Christmas stories and worship the God who “became flesh and dwelt among us”. We’ll get started at 7 p.m. and be done early enough to spend time with family. This service is for the entire family, so no childcare will be provided.

Christmas Day (Sunday at 10:30 a.m.)

On Sunday, Christmas Day, we WILL have our 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. We understand that many people have Christmas morning traditions, but we don’t think a Christmas service will disrupt those plans and traditions. We think it will add to and deepen your celebration of Christmas. If you’re in town, come. This service is for the entire family, so no childcare will be provided. So, there will be no Children’s Sunday School (normally during the service) and no 9 a.m. Equipping Hour and Children’s Church.

New Year’s Day (Sunday at 10:30)

Come and start your year out right by worshiping with God’s people. We will get started at 10:30 a.m. We will not have our 9 a.m. Equipping Hour or Children’s Church, but we will have Children’s Sunday School during the 10:30 a.m. service.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Click here for a map and other information about Community Bible Church.

Have a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas celebration this year!

The Bible is more than history. It is His story—God’s story. Many people see the Bible as a bunch of stories. Lists of commandments and laws. Letters and poetry. But they don’t know how it all fits together. To know the whole story is to know what God is doing in history. To see how we fit into His magnificent plan.

Pastor LePage is preaching a series of messages that will walk us from Genesis to Revelation. The goal is that we will see—more than ever—the entire story of the Bible.

Please join us in person, but we also invite you to listen to some of the messages already preached in the series by visiting the CBC Podcast. Look for the links in the right hand column for His Story—From Genesis to Revelation as well as links for the major sections of the Bible. Then be with us this Sunday as we continue our look at His Story—From Genesis to Revelation.

What is Truth?

Many are asking this question. Maybe you are asking this question. Many have given up on finding truth—they tell us, “We can’t know anything for sure,” which quickly leads to, “We can’t know right from wrong.”

What do you think? Are you an honest doubter—someone who is willing to listen to a different viewpoint? If so, keep reading.

“We can’t know anything for sure”?

“Humans are hopelessly limited,” many people are saying. “We cannot know something with omniscience (all knowledge) so we can’t be certain about anything.” This is the issue of epistemology (from the Greek word for knowledge; a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge)—how we know what we think we know. Many postmodern thinkers say everything is relative—that we are so impacted by our genetics, social background, education (every one of us had different teachers), culture, religious influences, historical time period—we can’t possibly put all those influences aside and then sort through the evidence and opinions and determine what is absolutely true.

But, we can know with reasonable certainty.

If omniscience is the only standard, then they’re right—we can’t know anything with absolute certainty. But, omniscience is an unreasonable standard—too strict. We can investigate, we can accumulate data, we can talk with eyewitnesses and experts, we can take into consideration our genetic, social and historical influences, then know things with high levels of certainty. Just because it is difficult to determine truth does not mean it is impossible.

A few years ago, I read D-Day by Stephen Ambrose. Should I trash it as unreliable because the perspectives of all those people he interviewed are hopelessly influenced by their genetics, background and social perspective? No—it was well researched and documented. It was filled with eyewitness accounts which corresponded with other accounts of D-Day. Stephen Ambrose had no reason to write an enormous lie. We can trust it with reasonable certainty as accurate history.

This is true of the Bible as well. We can examine the ancient manuscripts, consider the case for their reliability and preservation, read eyewitness testimony, look at the uniqueness and geography and history and archeology of the Bible, research its long history of acceptance over many years and many cultures, talk to people whose lives have been transformed by it, etc. and determine with “reasonable certainty” that this book is exactly what it claims to be: God’s Word.

But, we can know through divine revelation.

If one with omniscience tells us what is true, then we can know with absolute certainty. The Bible certainly claims to be the divine revelation of the omniscient God. So, when His divine revelation tells us that there are absolute truths for all people, in all places of all times—we can know absolute truth. For example, God is so far beyond us, we can’t really know Him, right? Not if He tells us a few things about Himself. Psalm 11:7 tells us, “…the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness…” 1 John 4:8 tell us, “…God is love”. If the Bible is what it claims to be—the divine revelation of God—then we can know that the Lord is righteous and He loves righteousness and God is love. We can then read further to know what righteousness and love are exactly.

“We can’t know right from wrong.”

“All systems of morality are social constructions,” we’re told, “differing from culture to culture. This culture says drinking is wrong, but that culture says it’s okay. That viewpoint says marriage should be between one man and one woman, but those people say it’s okay for two men or two women to get married. That religion says Jesus is the only way to know God, but that religion says there are many ways. All of us are products of our upbringing, influences, genetics and personal preferences, so right and wrong is a matter of personal perspective—relative.”

But, this is self-contradictory and therefore, impossible to live by.

The statement “We can’t know right from wrong” is an absolute statement about what is true! To say, you disagree is to be considered wrong. To say, something is true for you, but not for me, is to say that my view truth is right and yours is wrong. Relativism is self-contradictory.

For example, many postmoderns tend to be strong advocates for social justice—fighting against human trafficking, abuse of animals, destruction of environment, etc. They tell us these things are wrong! That’s an absolute truth which I happen to agree with! But it illustrates that whether or not we accept the Bible’s definition of right and wrong, we will accept some standard of right and wrong—we simply cannot live day-to-day without such standards.

But, this is dangerous and therefore, unwise to live by.

If morality is a personal issue—a matter of personal perspective—anything can be justified. The environment will be polluted, animals will be destroyed for entertainment, unborn humans will be slaughtered and newly born babies will be discarded; the elderly and the handicapped will be euthanized, etc.

People who believe truth is personal will experiment with sexual lifestyles and life choices that usually result in disease, emotional devastation or death.

The Bible tells us the violation of God’s moral laws results in negative consequences—by design! Romans 1:27, for example, tells us that when people reject God’s standard of sexuality for one man and one woman in a life-long marriage covenant, and choose homosexuality instead, they will receive “in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

But, if we discover right and wrong from our Designer, and live by those standards, we will remain under His umbrella of protection and avoid the heartaches and destruction of sin.

Can I tell you with omniscient certainty everything that is true and right and wrong? I cannot. But we don’t need to be absolutely certain. We can be reasonably certain. And, we can be reasonably certain that there is a God because the magnificence of what we see around us tells us this is so. And we can be reasonably certain—as we look at the Bible—that it is the revelation of God. Then, we can read it and know what the all-knowing God wants us to know.

Faith is often mocked in our time. But, “without faith it is impossible to please” God (Hebrews 11:6). God wants us to have faith. Not blind faith—He has given us plenty of evidence that points to His existence and the reliability of His revelation. But, He wants us to put our faith in Him—to trust Him.

Do you remember what the original postmodern thinker, Thomas the Apostle, said? “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). When Jesus gave him the absolute proof he asked for, Thomas fell on his face and said, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus said something that should shake the emerging idea that faith is foolish and absolute proof is necessary. He said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

For more, please listen to Pastor LePage’s message entitled, “What Is Truth?” on the CBC Podcast.

This TIME magazine cover illustrates at least two important things:

First, since the first century, people have been asking, “Who was Jesus?” TIME Magazine is just one of many who are still asking the question.   

Second, those who ask this question still get a wide range of opinions—just like the first century inquirers. Whose opinions matter? Is TIME’s answer trustworthy? Does it agree with the Bible?

Pastor LePage’s His Story series of messages continues with a look at the world-shaking, life-changing New Testament. The big question of the New Testament is the question Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16: “Who do you say that I am?” The difference between a wasted life and an abundant life is found in the answer to this question and those related to it:

• Who Is Jesus? (The Gospel of Matthew)
• Why Did Jesus Come? (The Gospel of Mark)
• What Do We Really Know About Jesus? (The Gospel of Luke)
• Why Does Jesus Matter? (The Gospel of John)
• What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus? (The Acts of the Apostles)

Psalm 119 is a masterpiece!

In a way it is like the Sistine Chapel. That work of Michelangelo is magnificent (I’m told) when you step back and try to take it all in. And, each individual panel or “fresco” is a masterful work of art in and of itself.

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms and the longest chapter of the Bible—176 Verses—yet it was crafted to be memorized! It is an acrostic, divided into 22 eight-verse sections—each verse corresponding to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section—called a “strophe”—contains eight verses. Each one of those verses starts with the same Hebrew letter. For example, the first eight verses start with “aleph” (the Hebrew A). Verses 9-16 start with “beth” (the Hebrew B) and so on. So, the psalmist intended for us to “take it all in” in one sitting.

Yet, each strophe is a masterful work of art in and of itself. This series of posts will take a look at each one of the 22 strophes of Psalm 119.

The psalm is not only in God’s Word. It is about God’s Word. In the 22 eight-verse “strophes” the Psalmist uses eight different terms for God’s Word. All but four of the 176 verses contain at least one of these eight words. These have been variously translated: Law, Word, Statutes, Commands, Decrees, Precepts, Promises, Regulations, Instructions, etc.

As you read each post, keep in mind two words: “Keep it…” We are given many instructions on what we are to do with God’s Word, but in Psalm 119, this is the most common instruction in the psalm. It is used 29 times (NKJV). So, keep in mind that fundamental point—God’s Word is for “keeping”. I hope you enjoy strolling through and admiring the Sistine Chapter of the Bible.

[ Read more in this series of posts on Pastor LePage's blog, Keep Your Head. ]

That’s what Dylan Avery and others like him want us to believe. The creator of “Loose Change”—a documentary film created in 2005, then revised in 2006 and 2007—claims President Bush was the real terrorist on that day the twin towers came down. Vice President Dick Cheney was the mastermind of the attack on the Pentagon—not Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or Osama bin Laden.

It was an inside job, they say, and their film documents the “facts”: Jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to burn steel. The damage to the Pentagon is consistent with the damage done by a missile, not an airplane. The wreckage in Pennsylvania doesn’t look like other plane wrecks. It looks like a plane that was shot down. Many are convinced that the creators of “Loose Change” are onto something.

[ Read the rest of this blog on Pastor LePage's blog, Keep Your Head. ]