Illuminate Community Church

1/2/2022 - God’s Intention for Everything - Genesis - Pastor Jason Fritz

If you asked me for one writing that appeals to all people including the scientist, engineer, philosopher, teacher, laborer, housewife and child; I would have to say it’s the book of Genesis. It answers the three basic questions everyone is asking. 

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

And if there was ever a time our world needed to bring clarity of purpose, meaning and direction it is now. Psychology Today posted an article titled: Welcome To The Age of Confusion: Existential Confusion Runs Rampant in the US. The author gives a list of challenges: Mass shootings, skyrocketing suicides, depression and anxiety, dramatic increase of drug use, culture of victimhood, racial tensions, troubled educational system, uncertain economic patterns, climate crisis, diametrically opposed political views, a damaging 24/7 polarizing news and social media cycle, ever changing definitions of sexuality, gender and personhood. Overwhelmingly people in America believe we are headed in the wrong direction.

What is the answer? The author goes on to say that the Christian worldview is impossibly outdated. He also states that the progressive view does not embrace the reality of the human existence. What’s fascinating is that the book of Genesis, while antiquated to some, speaks directly to the today’s source of and answer for the world’s confusion. In other words, it points to the realities of the human existence and what has gone wrong and how God intends to fix it. For this reason also Genesis is about Jesus Christ. Jesus quoted from it himself many times. The book has been termed the “seed” message because in it we see the genesis of sin, grace, forgiveness, redemption and restoration.

So Genesis is not just about creation, it is about order, design, purpose and meaning. The very things our world is desperately searching for. For this reason, this series is for everyone. However, it is especially for those who are 30 and under and even more so for Generation Z. I hope you will commit to attending faithfully each week and be transformed by this incredible book. 

12/26/2021 - New Year New Love - John 15:12-17 - Pastor Jason Fritz

2021 is almost in the record books and 2022 is right around the corner. What will this upcoming year bring for you? Joy, sorrow, pain, pleasure and sometimes all in the same day. Many of us will make a new start. We’ll put forth the effort to change things in our lives..at least that’s our intention. However, some things never change like our desire to be in meaningful relationships. It’s the desire to be loved and love others. This longing is at the heart of Christianity. Many think Christianity is little more than a self-imposed code of conduct. Not so. The Bible describes Christianity as a relationship with Jesus. It might surprise some to know that Jesus wants to be your friend. Now if you think about it, this raises an interesting question – How in the world does one be a friend to the co-creator of the universe? Well the answer is found in John chapter 15. The author was one of Jesus’ best friends. We know this because Jesus asked John to take care of his mom as he was dying on the cross. But there’s more here than meets the eye because Jesus was demonstrating his love for John at that very moment.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Jesus was laying down his life for John…and me…and you.

Friendships are built on the pillars of respect, trust and communication. Of these three, I think perhaps the one we struggle with the most is trust.  In my life the greatest hindrance to developing a close friendship with Jesus is my bent to live my life in my own strength, to rely on my own insight, to think that I know what God wants me to do. I can easily distance myself from Jesus by trusting my feelings and my inclinations.

Remember your friend group from High School? You shared a similar appearance, listened to the same music and probably got into the same trouble. In other words there were identifying characteristics that connected you as friends. The same is true with Jesus. His original group certainly didn’t start this way but overtime you could see them praying, choosing self-control, resisting anger, showing love to all and serving others. These are the marks of Jesus’ friends. We should never forget that Jesus was the one who initiated the love himself through his death on the cross. No better compliment can be had than to be called the friend of Jesus.

12/24/2021 - Christmas at Illuminate - Pastor Jason Fritz

We really need Christ in our Christmas this year.

Don’t you agree? Silent Night and Peace On Earth sound pretty good too. How about some Joy To The World? Seems to be a lot of shouting right now but it’s not the sound of joy. Lines are drawn. Hostilities, dissension, anger, violence are at the top of our social media feeds and on every news broadcast…every single day. We need the hope of Jesus who is the Christ. The name Jesus means “the Lord is our salvation.” The title Christ means messiah. Christmas is the celebration of God’s promised messiah born to save us.

I’m always amazed at the way God works. The sights and sounds and smells of a stable were the first sensations of the new born king. An improbable cast of characters surround him. A teenage virgin and her betrothed who has only been shaving his face for a few years. This is majesty in the midst of the mundane. God in a barn. Jesus emptied himself of his rights and privileges as deity and arrived to the earth in humility so that he might taste death for us all. 

We need to be saved.

Saved from guilt, shame, sin and death. Saved from the many false messiahs we think will save us. We need something that will unite us. We need the manger and everything it represents - light, freedom, forgiveness, mercy, grace and love. Think about this…if Jesus was willing to show up in a stable, then what place could possibly be off limits for him? No place is too dark.

Max Lucado tells the story of Father Josef Mohr who pastored the small church of Arnsdorf near Salzburg, Austria. The congregation, like the village, was comprised of simple people. They were farmers and woodworkers. There was more poverty than affluence. They worked long hours and endured harsh winters. Christmas was one of their few respites. The pastor did his best to make the holiday service special for his flock. But this year, 1818, he had a problem. The organ had become unfit for use. It was old. Mice had eaten at the bellows. The church needed a new one. But they didn’t have the money. Father Mohr went to his organist and expressed his chagrin, “We must have something special for midnight mass.” What is Christmas, they wondered, without music? On the day before Christmas Eve, the Father was called to administer last rites to a dying woman. By the time he returned to Arnsdorf, the hour was late. The valley and the village lay in darkness. The priest paused on a height overlooking the town. The events had left him sad: the useless organ, the death of a parishioner, the cold night and long journey. His heart, like the valley, was lost in shadows. But then he saw a faint light of a distant home. Against the black curtain of night, it shone even brighter. The priest pondered the light, then thought to himself: It must have been something like this–that silent, holy night in Bethlehem.

Suddenly inspired, he hurried home, sat over his desk and wrote:

Silent Night, Holy Night,
All is dark, save the light,
Yonder where they sweet vigils keep,
O’er the Babe, who, in silent sleep,
Rests in heavenly peace,
Rests in heavenly peace.
Silent night, peaceful night,
Darkness flies, all is light;
Shepherds hear the angels sing.
Alleluia! Hail the King,
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.

Upon arising the next morning, he took his lyrics to Franz Gruber, his organist. Within moments, Gruber imagined the perfect melody. When he sang the song to his wife, she told him, “We will die, you and I, but this song will live.”

The song lives on because the world still exists in shadows and we hold hope to the promise that light has entered and still shines.

12/19/2021 - Jesus is Savior - John 4:1-14 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Merry Christmas Illuminate Family!!! Don’t forget to share the Christmas Eve invite with your friends and family. Let’s pray that many will hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

What gifts will you enjoy this year? Can I remind you of the gift already given to you from Jesus? I love the stories of people receiving what Jesus offers. One of my favorites is the woman at the well. Jesus said this to her...

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
 
For many years in the eastern world water has been a metaphor for life. We Phoenicians understand this better than anyone because we live in the desert. If you are dying of thirst you will be tempted to drink anything, including that which is poison. 
 
So how does Jesus' water satisfy? Here’s how - you have needs. 

You have a need for purpose. You are not here on accident. God has a will for your life, get to know your creator and you will discover that will.
 
You have a need to be loved. You need a father that is perfectly patient, committed to your growth, all wise and accepting you always. This is what God does for you. No one but God can give you this perfectly.
 
You have a need to be forgiven. Otherwise you are going to carry a lot of guilt. Jesus removes the guilt and replaces it with forgiveness.
 
You need to know where you’re headed. The water of Jesus’ life gives you this assurance. That’s what the resurrection is all about. Jesus having power over death and extending that power to you!
 
Notice the water Jesus gives is spring water. There were two main sources of water in the desert. A cistern and a spring. A cistern was built to catch and hold rainwater. But they would often dry up. Jesus does not describe himself as a cistern, instead he describes himself as the spring. Springs are persistent. They are continuously bubbling up. You try and cover up a spring and what happens? It pushes forth, it finds a way out. This is the Christian life. The more freely that spring water flows the more it cleans out the pollution in your life!

12/12/2021 - Jesus Is King - Hebrews 1:1-3, Philippians 2:8-11 - Pastor Hudson Garcia

Last night I went over to my in-law’s house to watch the Christmas movie, Elf. This is a tradition in our family that signals the Christmas season is officially upon us! One of the things I love most about this time of year is holiday traditions. One of the longest-running traditions in my home growing up was reading the story of Jesus’ birth in the Bible before opening gifts. When reading from the account in Matthew, we would often start at Matthew 1:18. Now, if you have younger kids I would recommend starting there as well, but starting at Matthew 1:18, is actually missing one of the most important aspects of Jesus’ birth. Part of the significance of Jesus’ birth is rooted in a promise that came hundreds of years prior to King David. 

2 Samuel 7:16, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” 

Israel suffered as a nation under the evil and wicked leadership of one king after another. Their only hope was the promised Messianic King who would come from the line of David. The genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17 makes it clear that Jesus comes from David’s kingly line. 

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, people realized that Jesus was the long-awaited king of Israel and on a few occasions tried to forcibly make him king. The problem was that the Jews were not ready for how Jesus would earn his title as King. They expected him to earn it by overthrowing the oppressive Roman government that ruled in Israel. Hebrews 1:3 and Philippians 2:8-11 paint a different picture. We find out in these passages that Jesus earned the title King not by taking a crown of jewels, but by taking a crown of thorns. Though Jesus subjected himself to death for the sins of the world, He was exalted by the Father, earning the title King of Kings. Jesus is not only the King above every other King, but He is a King worth following. 

The reason that Advent season is so sweet, is because we do not just look back at Jesus’ first coming, but we wait in anticipation for His return. Jesus may have come the first time on a donkey, but when He returns He will be on a white horse with a sword in His hand. When He returns, He will defeat death and evil once and for all. This is why we celebrate Advent, to pause and remember our King is returning.

12/5/2021 - Jesus is Priest - Hebrews 2:5-18 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:17-18

Jesus’ birth brought more to the world than you can imagine. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is a priest in the service of God. The Old Testament high priest would offer animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of the people’s sins. Why? Because the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. Sin is destructive, sin is a disregard for God’s laws which give life. Imagine if everyone lived the Ten Commandments. How much safer, joyful, meaningful; how different the world would be. 

Jesus did away with the old covenant sacrificial system by shedding his own blood. No longer is there a need for the blood of animals. He is so much better. He is our merciful and faithful High Priest who gives us help when we are tempted. (Don’t you just love sympathy when you are hurting?) A Jewish priest was and still is, someone you go to for help. The best help comes from those who understand you. You face spiritual temptation. Jesus understands. He faced temptation directly from Satan. You face the temptation to make yourself look good, obtain power over others. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of this world. Even physically at his most vulnerable and after a 40 day fast he was offered bread if he would forsake God’s authority. 

No one can ever say, “Jesus you just don’t know what it’s like to live in a fallen world and to be tempted by sin.” Jesus responds, “Actually my friend, I do know what it’s like to be tempted - by Satan himself.” He knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. He wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. When most Jewish men were married with kids, Jesus knew what it was like to be single, homeless and a virgin. He experienced betrayal and rejection by his closest friends. He knows what it’s like to be stabbed in the back by someone he loved. He knew discouragement in ministry when the disciples just wouldn’t get it. When you go through pain and you want to talk to someone who went through it all, talk to Jesus.

11/28/2021 - The Prophet - Hebrews 1:1-3 - Pastor Jason Fritz

For many, tomorrow will be a special day of eating and football. Personally, I plan to be at the youth Turkey Bowl. The arm strength is gone, but the mind strength is…kinda still there?

Anyway, Advent is upon us. The word “advent” means arrival so this is why Christians celebrate the first coming of Jesus and what it means for us today. In Jesus' time not everyone agreed as to who he was but there was no doubt Jesus was extraordinary. The people said, “When he speaks he has authority.” At his arrest the soldiers fell back. When Old Testament prophets spoke, they spoke as mere men—weak and frail men standing side by side with the people pointing them to God. Jesus, even in his humanity stood above men and said, “Look to me, believe in me I am the prophet who gives you direct access to God." 

One of the unique things about ancient prophets is that he or she spoke of future events. They foretold of wars, famine, elections and many other things. They also foretold of the Messiah. Some of these prophecies related to his supernatural arrival. For example, Isaiah said the messiah would be born of a virgin. Other prophecies were obscure, yet detailed. Things like the place of his birth in the small town of Bethlehem or that he would arrive in Jerusalem on a donkey. There were dozens of very specific prophecies. Since Jesus himself was a prophet he too foretold of future events, but he did so in a unique way. The greatest example of this is that he predicted his own death and resurrection.

Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 

If you are the most ardent skeptic, I want you to think about this - who could predict his own death at the hands of others…with pinpoint accuracy? Who could predict that he would rise from the dead…and then do it? Sounds ridiculous, right? But to predict—and accurately so—that is not of this world. You see Jesus not only MADE prophetic predictions, he FULFILLED them. He is the ultimate prophet sent by God. Prophets spoke on behalf of God and Jesus proved he came from God by his own resurrection power. So then, we should listen to what the prophet has to say!

11/21/2021 - Thankful for Salvation - 1 Peter 1:1-12 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Are you ready for Thanksgiving next week?! I will exercise an additional 15 minutes and the sweat pants are already laid out!

Perhaps above all else, we should take time to thank God for our salvation. Peter gives us a starting point…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,​ ​to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,​ ​who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Peter is writing to Christians who he terms as, ”strangers in the world.” You will be a stranger in the world if you choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus because the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are very different. The kingdom of this world says to look out for number 1. The kingdom of God tells you to think of others as more important than yourself. The kingdom of this world tells you to live in unrestrained passions; the kingdom of God tells you to exhibit self-control. The kingdom of this world is ruled by Satan, the kingdom of heaven is ruled by God. A good question to ask yourself is this – Does this world seem strange to me? If not, then perhaps you have bought into it a little too much.

Notice the reason for our hope according to Peter. It is because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Why is there hope in that? His resurrection (the historical evidence for this is overwhelming) leads to your resurrection. Jesus has the power to raise you from the dead unto eternal life. This is what sets Jesus apart from all other religious leaders. You can visit the graves of Mohammed and Confucious; you can see the ashes of the Buddha, but you cannot unearth the bones of Jesus because they are not here.

But there’s more...When a person places their faith and trust in Jesus, they are destined to receive an inheritance. I don’t know if you have ever received an inheritance but the inheritance that Jesus has secured for you is unlike any other because it will never perish. It’s already there, waiting for you. So what is the Christian response to all of this? The answer is found in verses 6-8.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,​ ​so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.​ 1 Peter 1:6-7

Peter has been forthright in telling us we will face trials that cause us to grieve. He also says this suffering is necessary​ because it makes our faith stronger if we allow God to do his work in our hearts. Best yet, there is praise and honor to be received when we see Jesus face to face. So we can be thankful for our salvation and our suffering. Let’s let both have their proper place in our lives during this season of gratitude.

11/14/2021 - Thankful for Unity - John 17:20-21, Philippians 3:8 - Pastor Jason Fritz

I am so thankful for the unity we have as a church family. 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Many tables will be fully reunited this year and yet there’s a good chance that you might be facing some family drama. There remains at least a few things in the world that continue to divide. This is supposed to be the occasion when we look forward to family time but what if things are a bit dysfunctional right now?

Maybe you’ve noticed that some Christians bring the worst of the world into the church. Social media might carry some blame?? We find ourselves getting irritated at what others have to say. They push our buttons and rub us the wrong way. As a Christian, you think to yourself, “God, I know I’m supposed to love others but can we please make an exception? This person is just not lovable! “How am I supposed to love someone I feel like ignoring? How do I get along with someone who doesn’t get along with me?” 

What if these people attend your church?

So when Jesus prayed for future believers in John 17 isn’t it interesting that he said this…“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21

Do you see the point of Christians loving Christians? Jesus says there is a powerful result. Unity creates belief. How will the world believe that Jesus was sent by God? Not if we solve every controversy. Not if we are unanimous on each vote. Not if we never make a doctrinal error. When we love one another the results are worth every bit of sacrifice.

But how do we do create unity? See the answer below…

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Philippians 3:8

There’s a five-ingredient recipe here for you to serve unity on this year’s holiday table: truth, sympathy, love, compassion and humility.

11/7/2021 - Thankful! - Celebration Sunday - Philippians 2:14-18 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Our church family has many reasons to show our gratitude for what God has done. We celebrated our largest outreach event at Treat Street, we’ve added over 200 people in small groups, over 100 Sunday and midweek volunteers joined the team, and beginning Saturday, the opportunity to serve our city through Serve Week. Oh yeah, and we have a permanent church home through your generosity!  It’s been a time of spiritual transformation for Illuminate through Bigger, Smaller, Deeper. There is an excitement and a joy every time we gather together and it continues this Sunday with baptisms and baby dedications. At the same time we should remember that we have an adversary and he wants to steal the light of our joy.

The light of our joy can be stolen by the powers of darkness who fight against us.

So Illuminate, how do we keep “shining like the stars in the sky” as Paul says. He further explains that you and I shine in this world filled with darkness by holding fast to the word that gives life. Holding fast means “to fix one’s attention.” The “word of life” is another way of emphasizing the gospel. It is the word of “life” because it is there that we find truth regarding where life may be found, namely, in Christ. 

The Word: explain it, embrace it, protect it, offer it to others by making it known, and focus upon it with dedication and devotion.

Let me say this with as much clarity and sincerity as I can. The one thing that will prevent your light from being snuffed out by the darkness of this world is holding fast the word of life. The one thing that will protect you from becoming crooked and twisted like the world around you is holding fast to the word of life. The one thing that will guard your heart and ward off the confused influence of a society such as ours is holding fast the word of life.