PASTOR’S MESSAGE
Hi Friends,
This week we are going to respond to your question: “Why does God let bad things happen?” Out of all the questions we have covered, I believe, this week’s question is the reason most people leave the Christian faith. Someone might say that they are no longer a Christian because “Science has disproved God” or “The Bible is not historically accurate.”
In my experience, if you keep asking, they will tell you the real reason they struggle with God. They suffered and God didn’t seem to help. They lost a child or their health failed. Although they prayed and prayed, God didn’t do a miracle. God didn’t seem to do anything at all. And so, they decided to walk away from Christianity.
If you or someone you know has had a similar struggle, I want to encourage you to attend worship this weekend. We will read Psalm 73, where a priest named Asaph was on the brink of losing his faith. He observed the prosperity and good health of those who had no religious affiliation. And, at the same time, even as a believer, he suffered daily afflictions and punishments.
Asaph wrote, “When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply…till I entered the sanctuary of God.” In other words, our suffering can seem meaningless when we look at it from our perspective. But when we go into the presence of God and study his Word, we begin to gain new strength, a new perspective, and new hope. We might not know exactly why God is allowing us to suffer in the moment. But the presence of God guides us through our suffering as we trust in him until we reach glory.
See you Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Ben
CURRENT SERIES: gLAD YOU ASKED
ICYMI – Pastor Bill continued the series discussing the topic and questions around Heaven. To answer your questions, we read Jesus’ words in the book of Luke where he explained the narrow door that must be entered to get to Heaven. To read and watch the message, click here.
Coming Up This Weekend – Pastor Ben continues the series with a message about suffering. To answer your questions and find the meaning in the suffering, we’ll study and learn from the account of Jesus healing a blind man in the Gospel of John. You can join in on Sunday at 9:00 or 10:30am at Victory, on our live stream site, or our YouTube channel.
VICTORY OPPORTUNITIES
Franklin Civic Celebration Parade – This year, Victory will again show love to our community by handing out water bottles for the parade participants at the end of the Franklin Civic Celebration Parade on July 4th. We’re looking for donations of water bottles, volunteers (with trucks or vans) to bring water to the parade route, and volunteers to hand out water. All ages are welcome to help! To learn more and sign up, click here.
Community Concert: Volunteers Needed – Victory is hosting a Community Concert with The Playlist on Saturday, July 16 from 5:00-9:00pm. We are in need of volunteers to help set up/take down the event and to welcome our community to Victory. To sign up to volunteer, click here.
VICTORY NEWS
Growth at Victory – We are so blessed by YOU here at Victory! We are excited to share some details about how our ministry is growing at our services this Sunday, June 26. Leadership Team President, Jim Vogel, will be sharing important updates and ways for you to get involved.