Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. – Ephesians 5:25-27
Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!
If you follow church news, you may have seen the recent reports of immorality, abuse, and manipulation coming out of some well-known ministries. It has been a distressing few weeks as accusations of moral failures surface from ministries many of us have trusted and looked to for encouragement, teaching, and even guidance at times.
In reality, it is not limited to the past few weeks. It seems like there has been a pretty constant flow of disgraced preachers of the Gospel ever since there was a Gospel to be preached!
What do we do with that? Do we become bitter and disillusioned? Do we throw out the church as too broken, too selfish, too corrupt, and simply beyond repair?
I believe the correct response is not to give up on the church but to embrace the refining fire of our God who loves the church with a perfect and jealous love. Jesus promised that He would present the church to Himself as a pure, spotless Bride without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish – holy, blameless, and radiant with good works (Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:8). So wherever there is sin and abuse in His Bride, He will refine us and purify us until we become the glorious church He shed His blood for.
Be encouraged! God has not given up on the church and neither should we. He has one plan to bring His Kingdom to the earth, and that is through us, His body.
We are not a big church at Cornerstone, but we are committed to spreading His Kingdom wherever we can. This past year, we sent a team to Romania, passed out tracts in Oconomowoc, preached in Madison, and visited nursing homes in Hartford. We held Bible studies, discipleship groups, outreaches, and worship gatherings. We fasted, we prayed, we preached, we taught... And before I forget, we finished remodeling the basement. It has been a busy year!
My favorite reports, however, from the past year are those individual stories of lives touched by the Gospel, like the young man from Boston whose foot was miraculously healed, or the divorced veteran who began reading the Bible for the first time, or the confused atheist who found himself praying to a God he doesn’t believe in… What will ultimately change the world are not flashy ministries or expensive programs but the simple power of the Gospel to change one life at a time.
Thank you for building with all of us at Cornerstone Church in Oconomowoc. We are not a perfect church, but because of your continued prayers and support we were able to press on in making an impact for Jesus in the Lake Country area and beyond.
For the glory of the King!
Jake Stimpson
Lead Pastor
Cornerstone Church Lake Country
Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!
If you follow church news, you may have seen the recent reports of immorality, abuse, and manipulation coming out of some well-known ministries. It has been a distressing few weeks as accusations of moral failures surface from ministries many of us have trusted and looked to for encouragement, teaching, and even guidance at times.
In reality, it is not limited to the past few weeks. It seems like there has been a pretty constant flow of disgraced preachers of the Gospel ever since there was a Gospel to be preached!
What do we do with that? Do we become bitter and disillusioned? Do we throw out the church as too broken, too selfish, too corrupt, and simply beyond repair?
I believe the correct response is not to give up on the church but to embrace the refining fire of our God who loves the church with a perfect and jealous love. Jesus promised that He would present the church to Himself as a pure, spotless Bride without stain, wrinkle, or any other blemish – holy, blameless, and radiant with good works (Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:8). So wherever there is sin and abuse in His Bride, He will refine us and purify us until we become the glorious church He shed His blood for.
Be encouraged! God has not given up on the church and neither should we. He has one plan to bring His Kingdom to the earth, and that is through us, His body.
We are not a big church at Cornerstone, but we are committed to spreading His Kingdom wherever we can. This past year, we sent a team to Romania, passed out tracts in Oconomowoc, preached in Madison, and visited nursing homes in Hartford. We held Bible studies, discipleship groups, outreaches, and worship gatherings. We fasted, we prayed, we preached, we taught... And before I forget, we finished remodeling the basement. It has been a busy year!
My favorite reports, however, from the past year are those individual stories of lives touched by the Gospel, like the young man from Boston whose foot was miraculously healed, or the divorced veteran who began reading the Bible for the first time, or the confused atheist who found himself praying to a God he doesn’t believe in… What will ultimately change the world are not flashy ministries or expensive programs but the simple power of the Gospel to change one life at a time.
Thank you for building with all of us at Cornerstone Church in Oconomowoc. We are not a perfect church, but because of your continued prayers and support we were able to press on in making an impact for Jesus in the Lake Country area and beyond.
For the glory of the King!
Jake Stimpson
Lead Pastor
Cornerstone Church Lake Country