Country Community Church

Written By Jeff Roman

By Jeff Roman

Philippians chapter 3 verse 17 through 20 brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in there shame - Who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, ( let me repeat that; FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN) from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to HIS glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself.

Isn’t that a wonderful passage? I love that line “ for OUR citizenship is in heaven“ AND “from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. “ Shouldn’t that be our home. Our citizenship in heaven. It says some people are the enemy of the cross and guess where their citizenship is at, it's in destruction! So where is our home. Is our ultimate goal heaven? That’s God’s home. That should be our wanting destination. That’s what I want to talk to you a little bit about today “our home”

My current home or my home on this earth is in Atkinson. For those that don’t know me my name is Jeff Roman . I have a wife Jean we’ve been married for 26 years. I have a stepson Heath who has a wife Cherise and two grandsons Grayson and Vinny ages 12 and 7. And I actually started out in these parts. Not sure if any of you remember Prosper and Fern Roman. He farmed Newman‘s island which later became Copelands Island and the last I knew the Derricks family owned it. It’s down there by the big Ben conservation area I started my grocery career right here in town working for Marv Scott of Scott’s red and white grocery store which I believe now is a funeral home. Which is kind of funny because I have worked at two stores which now house funeral homes . I’m not sure if that’s what happens to old grocery stores they become funeral homes. I have 42 years in the grocery business. 37 years as an owner and 30 years catering. And my body tells me I have 42 years in the grocery business. LOL one of the things I believe the Lord led me to was fishing. Do we have any fishermen here today. You live right here next to the Rock River. And you’re not a fisherman I’m not sure what’s wrong with that. It’s a wonderful fishery. I grew up on the Rock River fishing and then when we moved I had an opportunity to fish farm ponds and from there it lead into bass fishing which led into a compulsion called tournament bass fishing. Do you want to know how to make a small fortune bass fishing. You start with a large fortune. Lol. I was blessed with over 30 years of tournament fishing to have met some very wonderful people from all across this country. And I believe there was a lesson to be learned here, a lesson God was giving me. After many years of being on the water on the weekends I started hearing this voice in my head, any of you probably think if you start hearing voices in your head you should probably seek some help, but I felt it was a different voice, a voice today that said I needed to be doing something for God‘s kingdom. All of these people that I was running around with on the weekends all seem to have a belief in God but we don’t want just a belief in God (because as it tells us in the book of James chapter 2 verse 19 you believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe, and tremble!) we need a relationship with God, we need to be working to find God's home, and who God is. So we know where to make our home!  So Hence came the creation of Highlife Outdoor Ministry. It’s a social network to help outdoorsman or anybody else at seeking and finding and growing  their relationship with God. Grow their relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s like God was speaking to me to talk to the unchurched. And that’s who the Ministry is really geared for, the unchurched. And from the unchurched we planted a new ministry called Country Community Church which our slogan for that is “Have Church Will Travel”. I get together a few Lay ministers and we get a whole bunch of food. Because the way to a man’s soul is through his stomach LOL food works wonders. We create a country community church gathering by putting together short sermonettes with a local praise band and spending an evening celebrating and praising God. And we do this preferably in outdoor settings anywhere they will have us. Area farms, conservation areas, old gymnasiums. Anywhere we can spread gods word. This has been very rewarding and has grown immensely up until the pandemic. Our first event had about 50 people, and our last event had about 150 people. What is really fun about watching one of these events is for me anyway it was meant for the unchurched but it was amazing to see all the church people and all the different denominations of people who were attending. Hopefully now with things starting to turn around we’ll get to have some of that scheduled again. I call myself a Lay minister. And I like to help spread the gospel. I’ve been blessed over the last several years to have got to do many church services like this. Little Presbyterian Church in Mendota I’ve been to several times. Congregational Church in Atkinson I have done many church services there when the pastor is gone. And done some other area pulpit supply when they needed it. I’ve done funerals and I’ve been blessed to have got to officiate quite a few Christian marriages the last few years. And how rewarding that is? To be able to be a part of God‘s blessing on a Christian couple . I'm the outreach director and member of Sonrise Bible Church in Atkinson and Jean and I are members of St Anthony’s in Atkinson also.  That is All “ home “ for me.

Here’s another way of looking at home and what’s important about the correct home.

How many of you here are sports fans? Do you like football? How about college football? Jean and I are huge college football fans. I’m not sure if you’re aware of it or not but there is only one true college football team, and I hate to tell you this but it’s not the fighting Illini, its the Oklahoma Sooners. Walk through our house and the evidence will show you that. We were blessed to meet Chuck Long about 15 years ago and he got us our very first tickets to a Oklahoma game. Not sure if you remember Chuck or not he was the quarterback for Iowa back in his college days and then he went on to play for the Detroit Lions in the pros and then when he retired he became the quarterback coach for the Sooners back in the late 90's. And helped Oklahoma win the national championship in 2000. Chuck had a brother who had some disabilities and Chuck somehow got hooked up with the Quad city Children’s Therapy Center where Jean and I have been volunteers for many years. So one of our events we got to meet Chuck and he was kind and got us some tickets. And then Jean and I started our own voyage finding the closest away game each year and getting our tickets and going to one game a year. Barring a pandemic of course LOL. They talk about the home team and the away team in sports. If you guys are fans I’m assuming you probably end up going to the home games. That’s a nice thing about being an Illini fan or a Hawkeye fan or a Badger fan the home games are fairly close. But there’s a whole different setting when you are the away team. And that’s the way it is here in life we are actually the away team. We are the ones confronted each and every day with sin, disease, illness, sadness, work, And all the other plagues of life. Even though being the away team you can still have comfort and joy but here in this life we are actually the away team. The home team which here we are talking about the riches of heaven where all those bad things are taken away and all we have to do is enjoy the joy of being with Jesus Christ. If you’ve never been to an away game it’s a whole different experience. You go from being the favorite to not being liked or not wanted there. I’m not saying it’s not fun or enjoyable because it is and we have met many many wonderful people. But it doesn’t matter who you are what colors you wear if you’re the away team it’s a whole different atmosphere. But it’s one you need to experience. It’s like our lives here on earth. This is our earthly home.  But we are the away team . What happens when you tell somebody you are a Christian who is not? What kind of response do you get?  It’s being the away team here because they believe their home is here. They believe their home is the house they are living in. With all the hardships we have to endure each and every day. Sickness illness, protest, unrest, pandemic and the list goes on and on and on and yes we have joys and comforts but this is our away game. We want to talk about our home team. We want to talk about heaven

One John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17 ...Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but He who does the will of God abides forever.   

One Peter chapter 2 verses 11 and 12 ....Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

 Here was a couple of scriptures of not becoming a part of this world. And a couple of statements that resound. The will of God abides forever; and the day of visitation. How sweet those signs are. We will be with God in heaven forever!

There are bad parts of this world. Enough Scriptures tell us so. Trust me when I say I love my home. But how much do we love our homes? Jean and I have one square acre on the north west corner of Atkinson. We can pick a baseball up and throw it in any direction and not hit a neighbor. And we are in the city limits. It’s a very unique piece of property, it’s an older two-story farmhouse that’s been well-kept. Has crops growing up around us during the summer but yet we are in the city limits. We absolutely love it. But could I walk away from it. Absolutely! Because I know where my true home is, it's in heaven!!  So.....Where is your home??

In the book of John chapter 14 verse one let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Fathers house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there YOU may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Isn’t that great! As a Christian, as a believer in Jesus Christ, and knowing that because Jesus shed his blood for us and died on the cross He has a place for us. A place in his Fathers house already set aside for us. He has told us this is true and He has told us that we can believe this because we believe in him! We know where our home is at and we know how to get there. By Believing in Jesus.

So many people today say they love Jesus. I’m assuming everybody in this room loves Jesus. I love Jesus, Jean loves Jesus. But where would we rather be? Here on earth in our earthly homes, or would we rather be in our home in heaven with Jesus. How many of you get up each and every day saying “Jesus I can’t wait to be with you.”  That’s what we should be doing. Not worrying about the things of today, and in the flesh of today, we should be wanting and feeling that joy that Jesus will bring us that day we come to him.

So we need to listen to Jesus.

In John, chapter 18 verse 37 ... pilot therefore said to Him “are you a King then?” Jesus answered “you say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” ..... ... so each and every day that we are here on earth in our regular homes we need to be learning God‘s truth learning what Jesus wants us to know. And Jesus has a lot to teach us.

Matthew chapter 6 verses 19 through 21 .....Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroyed and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. .......

It is so easy to get caught up in this world. Am I not right? I do it every day. Work consumes me. I forget about all those that are around me. Where your treasure is at is where your heart is at.

I have to work really hard not to make work not my treasure. And anybody who knows me knows I fail at this. I don’t work for money I never have, even though we all know it takes money to survive, money to pay the bills. I do work for those that are around me and make sure that they are taken care of. This might sound like a good thing. And it is if it doesn’t take away from anything else. If it doesn’t take away from God. When I get up in the morning and I start running and scurrying and I don’t get my prayer time in or my alone time with God and He gets left out. That’s not a good thing. When I put in an extra long day and I had a church event or something scheduled with Jean or another commitment and I didn’t make it. That’s not a good thing that’s putting my treasures somewhere else. It’s not putting my treasures in heaven and that’s where all of our treasures need to be. Are we building up our treasures in heaven. He’s up there looking down on us and saying like it was saying in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21. His Lord said to Him, well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you a ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Isn’t that what we are all after,  God telling us well done good and faithful servant.

And I mustn’t forget about our other home. And it is very important, our earthly home, and that is our church. In the book of acts there are many meaningful scriptures about church. Acts chapter 2 verse two and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and one sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as a spirit gave them utterance.

Verse 42 then those who gladly received His words were baptized, and that day about 3000 souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine in fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Chapter 5 verse 42 and daily in the temple, and in every house, that they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. ..... Church is so important. But Church is not a building, it is about a body. The New Testament meaning for church is, assembly or belonging to the Lord. Ii is about the body of those who share and build and support the glory of Christ. Is that what we are doing? Is our fellowship and gathering for that purpose. For the spread of the gospel and for the glorification of Christ. Church is not about the building. It’s about those in the building. And what we are doing each and every day.

So what will heaven be like. Why should we be so committed at getting there? The book of revelations gives us some hints!! Chapter 7 verse 15

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore, the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat, for the lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”   .....— God will wipe away every TEAR from OUR eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Aren’t those the blessings that we want?? These are the blessings that we know we will receive once we get to our true home with Him. Revelations 21:5  Then He who sat on the throne said, “behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me. “Write, for these words are true and faithful. — revelation 22 verse three- and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there, they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Wow, doesn’t heaven sound amazing. No death, no curses, only the light of God. God‘s throne is so lighted we won’t even need the sun. That is amazing in itself. To know that God is illumination alone! He is all we need! Isn’t this what we should be after? Isn’t it what we should be seeking??’!! Shouldn't we get up each and every day and want to be here? As I started out saying from the very beginning don’t we want our citizenship to be in heaven!

Revelation chapter 21 verse six and He said to me, it is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to Him who thirst. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and He shall be my son.

 Do we thirst for our home. Our true home. And That is the home we share with God.