Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

(Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV)

Think about a sword so sharp it pierces through the thick, hard part of your bone, into the tender, living core of the bone called marrow, and then separates them.  Think about being totally exposed, naked, no way to cover yourself or hide.

These are graphic images.  In these verses, we find an intense warning that we cannot hide faithlessness or disobedience from God, because His Word pierces through the things we do and say, and sees what is in our heart.  The Bible is not just a bunch of wise words to live by so we can be better people and things will go well for us.  It is the personal, powerful word of God.  We don’t just sit down, read, and study the Word.  The Word searches us too, and at times it crushes us.  It splits us open and exposes all of secret thoughts and the real reasons why we do what we do.  It cuts away everything we look like we are on the outside and reveals what is underneath it all.  In one sense, this is terrifying. There are things in all of our hearts and minds we would be ashamed for other people to know, even though those people are sinners like us.  Then, to think about Holy God knowing every selfish desire, lustful thought, hateful feeling, moment of unbelief… It’s a scary reality- naked, exposed, no place to hide.  But, in reality this is God’s grace on display.  The Word of God cuts deep, shows us the fullness of our sin, and traces it back to its root- unbelief.  This happened for each of us at the point of salvation, showing us our need for a Savior.  Now, as we stay in the Word of God, this will continue to happen.  We want this to happen. We want these areas exposed and dealt with so we can grow more in Christ’s image.

Podcast: John 18:12-24 Jesus on Trial

Brody Holloway preaches to our house church on the illegalities of Christ’s arrest and trial as we study through the book of John.

Listen now:

(direct link to the .mp3 file)

Spring Break Missions

Snowbird is busy! People often ask what we do until summer and the answer is…everything!

This week, two different churches have used their spring break to come further the Gospel in Andrews, while working alongside our SMO staff! Cornelia and Hillside United Methodist made their annual trek to the mountains this week and have worked very hard physically and spiritually to share Jesus with our community.

Many of you heard about the tornado that hit Cherokee County at the end of February. It devastated a community call Texana, located on the outskirts of Murphy, North Carolina. Please pray for Snowbird Missions and Outreach as we are repairing roofs on many, many homes that were ruined during the storm. Many residents of this area were without insurance, so we are praying for supplies, grants, and donations of any kind to assist in serving the community of Texana. We have hundreds of students coming this summer to help us work. Praise the Lord, we are going to need all the help we can get!

Pray with us that we will be bold to share our faith with anyone that we connect with as we work. We are very aware that a new roof without Jesus is just a temporary comfort for a lost and dying world.

Keep Snowbird continually in your prayers. Our summer Missions (SMO) staff will arrive next weekend for pre-summer training and the full-time staff will be resting a little to prepare mentally for all that the summer will hold. Fun times around here! Love you guys, and thanks for praying for us!