“Control: Letting Go of It to Get It”

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Ebook now available on Amazon!

Biography-Pastor Jason Terpack

PASTOR JASON TERPACK has been preaching since the age of seventeen when he re-organized the Bible Club on his public High School campus in Southern California.  B.A.S.I.C. - Brothers And Sisters In Christ and spoke at many other high schools in the Inland Empire.

In 1999, Jason graduated from John W. North High School and joined the United States Air Force in February 2000.  After completing his first deployment after 9/11, he began to work on his Bachelor’s Degree.  He was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in August of 2003 and was awarded his Bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University in 2005 with a major in Logistics Management.

Jason had a distinguished record of service in the military, going to war two times and earning the Air Force Commendation Medal twice among other decorations.  He was honorably discharged from the Service in December 2005.  At that time he became a substitute teacher in Arizona, followed by working as an Academic Counselor at Axia College of University of Phoenix in Arizona.

In August of 2007, he began graduate studies at Midwestern Seminary (www.mbts.edu) where he met the love of his life, Stephenie Long. They courted and were soon married on Leap Day- February 29, 2008.  A very small Baptist Church in the country called Jason as their Pastor in October 2007 after he filled the pulpit for a month and a half.  The congregation licensed Jason to the Gospel Ministry on November 4, 2007.  During Seminary, he also served a brief pastorate at a small Christian Church in Kansas City and was instrumental in the merger of two Congregations, which saved a 100-year old church from closing.

Pastor Terpack is a 2011 graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds the Master of Divinity Degree.

After Seminary, Pastor Jason began a ministry at another small country Church with only 50 people.  In less than six months, that Congregation was running 100 people in worship attendance.  They did not want to grow so they asked him to resign.  But Pastor Jason did not give up on his calling from God to be a Minister.

Jason’s passion is to preach the Word of God in a clear and relevant way! He desires to build up saints by teaching the Bible, by being available, and by being involved in their lives.  He is also an evangelist, reaching the lost and unchurched. 

Jason was called as Pastor of the Cummings Christian Church in Atchison County, KS and Ordained to that ministry by the Elders February 2, 2014.  He served there for two years full-time and saw the Church grow under the blessing of the Lord!

When he is free, Jason enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife Stephenie playing with his son John as well as watching movies, drinking coffee, studying theology, and enjoying good food and fellowship.  Most importantly, Jason loves the Church and being a Pastor! He can't see himself doing anything else with his time.  

After the retirement of the well-loved Pastor Larry Brazier, Morningstar Christian Church (Now Montclair Christian Church), CA invited Jason to become their new Senior Pastor.  Pastor Jason began the work of pastoring this wonderful Church August 4, 2019. 

He looks forward to the great things God will do here in the Inland Empire!  His new book “Control: Letting Go of It to Get It” is scheduled to be released by Christmas 2019.

Beyond the Status Quo

Beyond the Status Quo

By Pastor Jason Terpack

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” That is a very true statement.  If you think about it in the simple terms of life, you’ll see that it is true.  My wife enjoys watching a television show called “Worst Cooks in America.”  It is a show about people who are awful cooks but enter into a “boot camp” taught by two top chefs to learn how to work well in the kitchen.  The participants on the show are not culinary experts and if they never decided to do anything about it that would not change-they would stay horrible cooks.  But, the ones who seek the difference by wanting to learn and grow and identify the challenges to their cooking will improve and change for the better.  What often motivates the participants is their desire to provide quality meals for their loved ones.

In a similar way, we can choose as people of faith to identify our areas of weakness, our “cooking,” and seek to go beyond the status quo.  We can get help from the experts or “top chefs” like Abraham, Moses, and Paul who left the status quo to fully follow God.

Abraham left the land of his father, Ur of the Chaldeans to seek a place, “A city whose builder and maker is God.”  He left that place because God called him to do that.  It was not easy and it was not convenient, and it was not what he had always done.  He was used to that territory and was used to doing things that way.  But God was calling him to something different, something new.  And because of his obedience we have the Savior of the world who came at Christmas as a son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

Moses is another person we can learn from about leaving the status quo.  He killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave and then worked in the desert as a fugitive shepherd.  But God called him to lead the people of Israel, enslaved 400 years in Egypt, out to the Promised Land.  Moses had plenty of reason not to go.  He was 80 years old at this time.  Also, he was not good at speaking; he had a stutter or other speech impediment.  He listened though and because of his obedience we have the Law of God as given by Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy) which shows us our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24).

Then there is Paul.  Paul was a religious leader, comfortable with his station in life.  He was a Pharisee and well-respected as one who knew his own faith.  He in fact was a persecutor of the then infant church with letters from the top religious leaders endorsing his quest against Christians.  But God had different plans for Paul.  The Lord Jesus appeared to Paul on his trip to Damascus, while on his way to persecute the followers of Jesus there.  He was struck blind and spoken to in a voice from above (see Acts 9).  After three days, Paul who was previously called Saul had a very different attitude and perspective.  And he went on to found many churches and to write nearly two thirds of the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

In what way does God want to bring you out of the status quo in your life and in your church?  What is God calling you to do that may not be comfortable or convenient?  If you obey, you may just change the world!

DAY 11 Co-signing Loans

“There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.” (Proverbs 11:15 NLT)

The Bible has much to say about money and wisdom for how to work for it, how to spend it, and how not to spend it. Today’s selected verse teaches us not to cosign loans. You may have had someone ask, “Would you co-sign a small loan for me?” They may have even explained that you would not have to pay a cent; just sign a piece of paper; “It’s a favor,” they say. But the Bible teaches that this is not safe.

Why is it unsafe to cosign a loan for someone, even a friend or family member? Because by becoming a cosigner you are now assuming another person’s debt. If that friend or family member fails to pay their debt you will be forced to assume responsibility for that debt as if it were your own.

In an article on this subject Christian money expert Dave Ramsey writes:

The lender requires a cosigner because there is a very high statistical chance that the applicant won't pay. So why do we appoint ourselves as the generous, all-knowing, benevolent helper to override the judgment of an industry that is foaming at the mouth to lend money, and yet has deemed your friend or relative a deadbeat looking for a place to fail, or at least a loan default looking for a new home? Why do we cosign knowing full well the inherent problems?
We enter this ridiculous situation only on emotion. Intellect could not take us on this ride. We "know" they will pay because we "know" them. Wrong. Parents cosign for a young couple to buy a home. Why do they need a cosigner? Because they couldn't afford the home! Parents cosign for a teenager to buy a car. Why would parents do this? "So he can learn to be responsible." No, what the teenager has learned is: if you can't pay for something, buy it anyway.

There was a man who went to the mall with one of his buddies. When they got there, he took out his debit card and handed it to his friend along with a note including his pin number. “Spend as much as you like, it’s on me.” Would anyone ever think of doing such a thing? That is exactly what you are doing if you co-sign a loan for someone else.  You are committing all of your wealth to whatever debt that person is assuming (his debt has become yours).

Jesus taught us to ask the Father to “give us this day our daily bread.” He taught us to ask God to provide for our personal needs. I believe God will meet our financial needs as we live wisely and within the parameters of His Word. This does not include taking on unnecessary debt, including that of close friends or family members.

May we be wise today with the money the LORD has given us and the credit we have earned.

Proverbs Chapter 9-Wisdom's Invitation

DAY 9

“[Lady Wisdom says…]Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed.” (Proverbs 9:5 NLT)

Lady Wisdom is further described in chapter 9 (1-12) and contrasted with Lady Folly (13-18). Notice how similar Lady Wisdom’s offer sounds to what has been called “God’s Banquet Call” in Isaiah 55:1; “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink-even if you have no money! Come take your choice of wine or milk-it’s all free!”

We are invited by God to partake of good things. Food and beverage are some of the items most associated in our minds with blessing from the Lord. I think that is why Jesus compared Himself to the bread from Heaven of Moses’ day.

The crowd asked Jesus, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (John 6:30-31).

Jesus responded to them by saying, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

The crowd did not seem to fully understand and they answered, “Sir…give us that bread every day.” “Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (vss.32-35)

Jesus compares our deep need of salvation to our hunger and thirst-these are very real feelings that we experience daily. Jesus said that coming to Him (by repentance the Bible teaches, Acts 2:38) will satisfy our spiritual hunger and by believing in Him (that is faith, Romans 10:9,10) we will satisfy our spiritual thirst. This is ceratinly for people who have never trusted Christ as Savior but it is also for the believer to constantly come to Jesus turning from sin and believing in Him on a continual basis (reference).

“But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24)

Get Back Up!

“For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.” -Proverbs 24:16 NASB

This verse of Scripture is especially encouraging to me this week. Christians are not perfect but they are being perfected! The Bible teaches that though a righteous man falls “seven times” or falls completely, he gets back up. God does not reject you after you fall one time, two times, or even three times. He accepts you every time you get back up through repentance of sin.

God is gracious to sinners! Even saved sinners-"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8&9)

The key to God’s forgiveness is our confession. Not confession to a priest, but to the Lord. Not saying a rote formula but agreeing with God from the heart that what we have done is wrong. If we do this, “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Not only this, but he will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Praise the Lord for His great mercy to us. Even after we have been saved, we are still being saved. Not only have we repented, but we are still repenting. Daily we are dying to our old way of life and being renewed in our mind.

God is good and gracious-His love for us extends to us even when we fail Him. I love Him because He first loved me. He loved me when I was lost and wretched and He loves me when I fail to be what He is by grace creating me to be!

Have you fallen? Get back up.

Have you fallen more than once? Get back up!

Have you fallen completely? GET BACK UP.

Get back up today oh man of God! He will set your feet upon a rock.

(Image originally from http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofoddy/270565446/)

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For Those of You Wanting to Learn Hebrew

At this point in my seminary studies I am beginning to study Hebrew and this video helps to make learning the aleph bet (the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet) easier.