Will Vaus

Today is an anniversary. Five years ago today, I began to serve as the pastor of this church.   Isaiah 58:12 says, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins, and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”   I believe this verse applies to us today. We are called by God to be rebuilders of the ancient ruins. This year, our church is celebrating 155 years in this building. But the history of this congregation is much older, going back to 1639. There have been times over the past four hundred years when this congregation has waxed, and times when it has waned. Right now, we are on an upswing, and I believe the Lord has called us to spiritually rebuild his work here in Yarmouth Port.   Haggai 2 also has some interesting verses that, I believe, apply to us today…   “Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But...

In our journey through the 66 books of the Bible we come today to the book of the prophet Isaiah…   Author & Date   Isaiah, son of Amoz, sometimes referred to as Isaiah of Jerusalem, is traditionally thought to be the author of the entire book bearing his name. Isaiah means “Yahweh saves”. Isaiah was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Micah. His ministry began around 740 BCE, the year King Uzziah died (6:1). According to an unsubstantiated Jewish tradition (see the apocryphal  Ascension of Isaiah ), the prophet was sawn in half during the reign of Manasseh. (See also Hebrews 11:37.) Isaiah was married and had at least two sons, Shear-Jashub (7:3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3). He probably spent most of his life in Jerusalem, enjoying his greatest influence under King Hezekiah (37:1-2) Isaiah is also credited with writing a history of the reign of King Uzziah. (See 2 Chronicles 26:22.)   Many scholars today challenge the traditional claim that Isaiah of Jerusale...