A Touchdown We All Can Be Excited About

Today’s Reading – Zechariah 1o – 14

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4)

This is football season, and every fan knows the excitement of seeing his team score a touchdown. Here in Zechariah 14 God tells us about another kind of touchdown that all of God’s people can be excited about. This is when Jesus returns from Heaven and touches down on the Mount of Olives. This is when all of the enemies of God including Antichrist and Satan will finally meet their doom. Christians have put up with a lot of garbage through the years from the lost world: from martyrdom to simply being made fun of, the world has had its day. But that day will soon be over, and all of the world will know that Jesus is Lord!

I know that all Christians will have the same level of enthusiasm in that day when the Lord returns; but it is sad to think that today there will be more excitement about football than the Lord. Brother Chalie Clark sent out a “tweet” this morning that said, “Every pastor should be MUCH more passionate, focused, and hard working today than any NFL coach could ever dream of being.” I wonder how true that will be. Let’s get excited about the reality of the rapture, and the return of the Lord. Then let’s pour that passion into serving Him in these last days. I don’t want to be just a spectator, I want to participate.

Touchdown!

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Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.