In the final installment of the "This Year Will Be Different" series, Pastor Nathan Gagne reiterates King Solomon's warning against a 4th people group, the scoffers. A scoffer is a person whose general aim is to distract from, discredit or demean a teaching, thought-process or ideal. Pastor Nate still vividly remembers his own encounter as a 7 year-old with scoffers in a church service. The scoffer's main danger is the influence they can have over those without a strong focus. Although Pastor Nate continued to follow God following this encounter, there might have been others drawn off by the boisterous shouts of those scoffers. He reiterates another point with a more recent story of two brothers at a recent summer camp. The older brother refused to participate & went as far as openly mocking the services and his younger brother followed suit. Pastor Nate was shocked to hear from their grandfather that the younger brother often talked with him in curiosity about God. However, due to the scoffing influence in his life, his actions did not reflect the true desires of his heart. Throughout this series, Pastor Nate has reiterated that "you must allow your character to influence your circumstances" instead of the other way around. This is the downfall of others where the scoffer is concerned but could be his uplifting if others being using their character to change the circumstances.
This Year Will Be Different: Week 4
