Created to Give God Glory

The Danger of the Excess

2012-02-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

The world lives on a principle that cannot be explained. It believes that a good thing cannot be truly good if it cannot be good in excess. For example: If it is a good thing to help a man when he is hungry, it is a better thing to provide all the other things that he might need. On the other hand, if it is a good thing to make money, then it is a better thing to accumulate the wealth at any expense.

And thus we have excesses in all areas, especially in the church. One church will preach that it is a good thing that people drink alcohol only in moderation. The next says that it is best that they have no alcohol at all. One says that it is best to show some emotion when worshipping, the next displays wild histrionics. It seems that there is no end to excesses. It does not matter whether you speak of prayer, the Bible, the Holy Spirit or any manner of deportment, excesses abound.

My own assessment is that the Spirit is not leading when people are brought to excess. The excess can be in stoicism or in emotionalism. It can be in allowing the Priest only to read the Bible to denying that those who preach have any knowledge of the Word. It can be in wild dancing in church to denying dancing outside of the church. It can be in avoiding prayer or cloistering oneself for a lifetime for the sake of prayer.

It is much easier to go to excess. Excess denies self-control. It allows the good act to control the individual. This can be done without thinking, being Spirit led or even consulting the Spirit for that matter. Excesses more easily tear people away from their relationship with the Lord because the excess pushes out the relationship with the Lord. God is no longer the focus of the individual who is given to excess. The excess has become his lord.

So all things must be held in discipline. The body must know when it is working in harmony with the Spirit. Thus, it neither overeats or over-exercises. Thus, there is prayer and Bible study. Thus, the Spirit is leading and emotions are felt and expressed without drawing self attention.

The Spirit gives glory to the Son. He does not draw attention to the believer through excesses. He allows for extravagence without excess.

This Spirit led self-control is a matter of discipline. It allows for the tears but not for the wailing. It seeks God in prayer but not at the expense of soul-winning. It allows for eating but not for gorging. It permits dancing but not as a public sexual display.

Yes, it takes a great deal more discipline to exercise self-control than to either eliminate the action or allow it to continue unabated. Yet , that is what makes it a remarkable Christian life. It is what we call maturity.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV) ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Without Faith, It is Impossible to Please God

2012-02-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I often ask people why they have come to church. This question is especially true of those who are coming for the first time. I tell them that they may be here because others have invited them, have seen the app, our sign or simply don't know why they have arrived but there is a purpose for their arrival.

Many people may come to church for purely fleshly reasons. They come because they make business contacts, are looking for a spouse or are looking for some way to beat the system. The latter are hoping to find some spiritual principles that will give them power over others. They want to be rich, famous and powerful. They are hoping for a teaching which will enable them to manipulate God into giving them their fleshly desires.

Many of the unchurched people who come to our church have no real understanding why they come. They tell me that they just thought they should be in church. They have no background of church, no one telling them they should come and know no one in the church. They don't know the songs or what to do but have bravely walked into this strange place with strange people who talk a strange language. They really don't know that God imprinted His image on them so that they will seek to give Him glory even if they have no idea what it is. He has drawn them in to please Himself. He is reaching them within themselves. They can resist coming but have no reason to do so because they know nothing of what they are getting themselves into.

However, they are not pleasing God simply because they have come to church. They will please Him when they accept the faith He has waiting for them. They will please Him when they continue to act on faith which is given by His grace.

Pleasing God is accepting faith to see Him change us, the situations around us and others. It is by faith that we come to Him in prayer believing that He is a God of love who will not give us a serpent when we have asked for bread. It is by faith that songs of praise originate in our hearts and come through our voices. It is by faith that we give out of our love for Him. It is by faith that we daily take up our crosses and walk determined that the world will be changed for His glory.

Faith pleases God because it is an outward manifestation of who God is. It loves on the world rather than condemns it. It points toward righteousness because of the character of God inside the believer. It brings His image in the believer to clarity.

It pleases God because He loves to see His children grow. We show to Whom we belong when we act in the faith He has given us.

And what is the reward that He gives us?

It is peace. Now, before you dismiss this peace as worthless you should look at the lives of many of the people who are rich, powerful and famous. Do most of them appear to have peace? Are their lives full of broken relationships? Are they often pursued by the demons of drugs and other addictions? Why do you suppose that Jesus said it was so hard for the rich to enter heaven? Do you think it could have been because the riches they sought to own now own them?

Faith is a word from God that must be believed. It is a belief that must take action. It is an action that gives Him the glory. It is the glory that pleases God.

And that glory is our fulfillment.

What is God saying to you that you must accept by faith? What is keeping you from acting on that faith? If you fail to act when God says go you will fail to believe He responds to your prayers. You will fail to seek Him.

Each believer comes to moments in his life when he must act on faith or his faith will stagnate and grow cold. It isn't about doing something great for God that should be sought. It is always about being obedient to what God is telling you.

And that always takes faith.

The Same Old, Same Old Won't Do God's Will

2012-02-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5:1-6 (NIV) ¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

You probably know the story of the Galatians. They were teaching that a person must become a Jew before he could become a Christian. Therefore, a new believer had to subscribe to each and every Jewish practice to remain faithful to the Lord. Indeed, as Paul stated, they had fallen away from grace and were again working for their salvation.

No doubt, the Jewish practices seemed very right to the Jews. They had practiced them all their lives. Abandoning them was denying the comfort these practices had given them throughout their lives. Surely, the Messiah, who was a practicing Jew, would want them to continue as Jews. Of course, this meant that the Gentiles would have to be circumcised too. All Gentile proselytes had been circumcised in the past.

Yet, returning to the old ways would actually prevent the gospel from being preached because it became a false story of salvation. Requiring circumcision made Jesus' sacrifice on the cross inadequate. It made man's salvation dependent upon himself. It made the shedding of blood by the believer crucial for salvation.

It seems to be human nature to return to our past. The past is the foundation for our future. It feels comfortable and right.

Years ago I learned to play a specific song on a guitar a certain way. I had watched someone play the song and did it exactly as he showed me. After playing the song that special way for about twenty years I watched the original artist play the song differently. I realized that the correct way came from the original and began reteaching myself to play the song. It wasn't very long before I returned to my old way. It just seemed more comfortable to play it the old way even though the original was a much easier finger pattern.

If we take life's experiences and place them in the denominator of our lives and take new teaching and place it in the numerator we will find that few experiences will have a lasting effect if we do not continue to repeat them time and again. We will find that older churches typically die because they cannot bring themselves to adapting to new methods of reaching people. We will find that older Christians cannot understand that many of those coming to church today have no church background. They do not know where most of the books are in the Bible. They may not know whether to look for them in the New Testament or Old Testament.They may not know who we are speaking of when we mention Paul, Elijah or Samuel. They may have heard of Moses and David but could not give any background material they haven't seen in a movie.

So, sermons change from speaking to people who have a biblical background to those who have none at all. And yes, much of this is unnecessary for those who have a solid background developed over years in the Bible. It is necessary to make the change if we want to reach new people.

It is God's will that we reach people, you know. Its just that the same old, same old is going to get us the same old, same old.

Matthew 9:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶ "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Why Do God's Choice Servants Have Such Persecution?

2012-02-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV) ¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Why is that? Why should God's most faithful suffer persecution? Couldn't He make things go smoothly for those are seeking to live godly lives.

Of course, God could make everything go smoothly but He doesn't. Persecution comes to those who live godly lives.

God is not the author of evil but He allows evil to exist. He allowed Satan to live in the Garden of Eden. He allowed him to seduce Adam and Eve.

In fact, God has frequently allowed evil to oppose His servants. He allowed Pharoah to stand in Moses way. He allowed Jezebell to threaten Elijah. He allowed Saul to oppose David. And never forget that He allowed Judas to betray Jesus.

Persecution is a torment for one's beliefs. It is obviously volitional when a person is opposed for his faith. It often appears circumstantional when a person is treated harshly after committing his life to Christ. It seems that his commitment of godliness resulted in the opposition. Yet, that also seems to be God's pattern. He makes what He wants seem impossible.

Remember that God told Joseph in a dream that his brothers and father would bow down to him, then let him go through a terrible time which made his dreams seem impossible. God told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and then let Moses go through a terrible time as Pharoah opposed him. He led them to the Red Sea and made their journey to the Promised Land look impossible. Even the first city the Israelites would conquer looked impossible at the beginning.

God stretches the faith of those who seek to live godly lives. He leads them to places that they would never have gone to do tasks that they would never have taken in order to make them totally depend upon Him.

Doesn't it seem strange that God would tell those who think they have surrendered all to him to surrender more? They have claimed a desire to fully follow after God. All that they know of themselves commits all they know how to commit. So, God allows persecution to intercede to increase what they know of themselves and deeped their commitment to Him.

I suppose I would rather tell stories of sugarplums and lollipops which follow those who want to live godly lives but it would simply be a lie. A person who follows hard after God will find that he must drink from the bitter cup of opposition. Then, he discovers whether or not he meant what he said when he said that he surrendered all.

Most of the time I want to want to live a godly life. I know that really seeking a godly life will result in persecution and, frankly, I like smooth sailing with the wind at my back. The struggles define my godliness. They bring me to the realization of who I am.

The question I must ask myself is: Am a ready to seek godliness or do I want to just keep hoping that I want it? I am either choosing the stagnant Christian life or the one that is truly full of life but accompanied by persecution.

Today, I choose godliness.

Tomorrow, I am afraid I will have to make this decision again.

Give Me That Mountain!

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Bible is certainly full of heroes of the faith. It is common to hear of Moses, Joshua, David and Paul when people are giving examples of faith and devotion to the Lord. And, yes, I admire these too but this morning my quiet time took me to the story of Caleb.

Caleb was forty years of age when he was sent to spy out the Promised Land. He came back telling the people that it would present a challenge but that the Lord would give them the land because He had said so. For no fault of his own, he was sentenced to wandering in the wilderness until the faithless generation had passed away. He entered into the battle with rest of the Israelites when the time came to go into the Promised Land. They had victories coupled with a few failures but eventually the time came to give the inheritance to each who had fought. There were still others living in the land. There would still be battles.

Caleb is eighty-five years of age when he asks Joshua to give him Hebron. It was where the Anakim lived. The Anakim were known for their size and considered giants. They would have been the hardest group to defeat since they also had fortified cities.

His age should have given him the opportunity for retirement. He could have told the younger members of his family to go to battle without him. He could have sat in a rocking chair and waited out the rest of his life but he still wanted to meet challenges head on.

This strikes me as very unusual because I live with a people who are enamored with retirement. They not only save for it but look forward to it. They brag of having no bosses, no obligations and no challenges.

I realize that there comes a time when a person must realize his limitations. Too often people try to continue when they cannot do so physically. Worse yet, some coast because they know that they can retire at any time. People need to make an assessment which includes others who can honestly tell them when it is time to step back.

Retirement has become doing only what you want to do for the sake of yourself. I don't believe that is what God wants us to do. Yes, you may retire from your money making job but your service to Him has no retirement date. Somehow many people have thought that these two go hand in hand. They don't.

Serving the Lord does not end because of age. In fact, the godly believer should be looking for God's challenge to him no matter what his age. I want to stand (if possible) before the Lord all of my days asking for new challenges.

But I don't have to wait for that, do I? I can ask God for His challenge before me today. I can ask that the challenge be filled with giants and full of reasons that it can't be done. I can ask for His glory to be known. I can say:

Lord, give me that mountain!

Joshua 14:10-14 (NIV) ¹⁰ "Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! ¹¹ I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. ¹² Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." ¹³ Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. ¹⁴ So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.

There Is No Promised Land for the Faithless

2012-02-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

People act the same no matter how many years have passed. The people of the New Testament acted like the people of the Old Testament. Today people act like those in the New Testament. Human nature remains the same.

The Israelites could not see how they could get into the Promised Land because there were obstacles in the way. They simply could not believe that God would empower them, provide and lead them to take this land which had men the size of giants. They saw the obstacles and thought they were being prudent.

They wanted to go back to Egypt and be slaves rather than take a step of faith in entering the Promised Land. They would rather be mediocre than to follow God completely. They would rather keep their little idols that they had carried with them from Egypt than to serve the Lord God with all their hearts, minds, souls and strength. They had been so corrupted by the world they had lived in that they could not believe in the God who had already proved Himself to be the Almighty.

It didn't seem to matter that they had seen God split a sea so that their enemies would be defeated. It didn't matter that He had provided water and food in the desert for them. It didn't matter that He provided the direction by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. They still clung to the faith they had in the world they had known. They couldn't understand the love of God, His power, wisdom or His truth. They saw Him as someone who might not prove faithful at a crucial moment even though they had already seen Him faithful.

When the spies came out of the Promised Land, they expressed their faith in faithlessness. They just wanted things they could depend on without faith. Isn't that the way many people who call themselves believers act today?

People are worried about the economy without regard that they have a God who loves them. They fret over their medicare or their job or their children or any number of things as if God has no plan. They live as if they are the masters of their own faith and they know how little power they have to do things. Their definition of faith is "believing in something that you know isn't true." They don't pray, give or serve because they lack belief. They haven't had any contact with God because they haven't truly believed in Him.

O yes, they say they believe in God but the god they believe in is impotent rather than important. He is silent rather than speaking. He is absent rather than omnipresent. He is clueless rather than omniscient. He is stoic rather than compassionate. He is false rather than true.

Thus, they come to church with all their worries. They oppose anything that stretches them. They are willing to do anything in which they can see personal benefit that will not change their lifestyle. They don't want to be asked for another thing.

So, they never enter the Promised Land.

Do you know why?

It isn't because they won't try. They tried on their own after they had rejected God's promise. They assumed they could act like nothing had happened after they had been faithless. They were like people who after dying enter God's presence and tell Him that while they didn't ask Jesus into their hearts while on earth, they are quite willing to do so now. That's not faith. Its just fear of the consequences.

God leads a people of faith into the Promised Land. This land is before us every day. It is how our faith stands when the economy is bad. It is how our faith stands when we are challenged to join God in any endeavor. It is how our faith stands when the circumstances tell us that something else is more practical.

Of course, we have the Old and New Testaments to remind us of those things. We need to accept God's faith in all matters or else we are doomed to fail.

The Promised Land is for the faithful.

Numbers 14:39-45 (NIV) ³⁹ When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the Lord promised." ⁴¹ But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the Lord's command? This will not succeed! ⁴² Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, ⁴³ for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword." ⁴⁴ Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

We Can't Forget the Crowds

2012-01-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have heard many Christian leaders claim that they must forget about the numbers and focus on a small group of disciples. They claim that this is the way of Jesus but I beg to differ.

Sure, Jesus had His small group. They walked with Him daily. They were the people He would hand His ministry when He was gone. They were essential to the continuance of the gospel.

But Jesus also spend a significant time preaching to the multitudes-those people who had no close attachment to Him. These people also got the full gospel. Much of what we know of Jesus teaching was recorded by His disciples as He taught the multitudes. He said what they needed to hear. He drew them in by going to them.

Jesus taught the crowds the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. He fed the crowds in Mark 8. He had compassion on the crowds in Matthew 9. Jesus was concerned about the crowds too.

Let's imagine Him differently. Let's say He took the small group approach alone. He would never have been crucified if He hadn't made such a huge impact on the crowds. The Pharisees would have seen Him as one of the many self-proclaimed messiahs with a few followers. They would never have spent the time or thirty pieces of silver to have Him executed. He would never have been more than an annoyance to them.

But isn't that true of Christians today? We will never change our culture or even get our message out unless we have both the small groups and the large crowds. Very few will pay attention if we are no greater than a few small groups who keep their faith to themselves.

Thus, much of Paul's preaching was done before crowds. A couple of months ago I was at Mars Hill in Greece and imagined what it would have been like for Paul to preach the gospel there. He stood on the small platform and began his message to appeal to the crowds passing by. A crowd assembled when he talked of an unknown god. He addressed them right where they were.

So, please do not think of the gospel or discipleship as only for the small groups. The crowds were discipled too. The small group was not exclusive for Jesus and it doesn't need to be exclusive for us either.

When someone says to you, "So, your church is all about the big crowds,' please answer: "Yes, we love the crowds, the small groups and the individuals, too."

Jesus loved all three, too.

Matthew 5:1-2 (ESV) ¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

Distant or Casual with God?

2012-01-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

The pendulum of theology swings from transcendence to immanence and back again. We know that God is high and lifted up; in His holy place. We know He is never changing but we also know that He is personal and present with us. Our architecture reveals our theology. The pulpits were lifted up above the people when we emphasized His transcendence. They were brought low and closer to the congregation when we wanted to know God is present. One scenario presents Him as distant and the other as casual. Which is it? Of course, it is both and we must guard that we don't lose one for the other.

The God who is too far away is never personal. He is relegated to the presence of priests who hold the power of salvation. Prayers go through other, more pious individuals. He is respected and truly feared but never really known. His holiness and power are known well. His love is hardly mentioned.

God is too often made casual when His immanence is at the forefront. He is often fallible. People question His motives and whether He knows what He is doing. His justice is forgotten and replaced with forgiveness without consequences. The fear of the Lord is a completely forgotten topic.

Somehow these two extremes in theology should be merged. The presence of God must be known while the transcendence of God is still in place. There must be awe while there is a personal touch. There must be the fear of the Lord and the love of the Lord known at the same time.

I believe that many people who are younger than I have known something was missing in worship. They have searched and returned to more liturgical churches. They want to know the God who is holy, just, immutable and still present. They want to leave behind the casual worship they have formerly experienced. They are tired of health, wealth and "let the good times roll" preachers. They know that their own personal time with God is more than casual. It is reverent. It contains His holiness and they are brought to their knees.

I believe the Psalmist understood this when he said:

Psalm 5:7 (ESV) ⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

Do you believe this too?

The Boring Christian Life

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

I know I have written on this subject before but my observations of Christians reveals that most believers live a mundane, boring, uneventful Christian life. Maybe that's why they run from church to church seeking the next great preacher, revelation or experience. They are expecting something outside of themselves to bring meaning to their lives. They believe that God is someone to be chased down rather than allowing Him to enter in. They believe they must be swept into a new experience by the preacher or place.

There are characteristics to this boring life which are not readily recognized.

A boring Christian life is more excited about what it gets from the faith than that there are people who are coming to Christ. They do not know the true excitement of a life changed by Christ. They feel no excitement when watching others being baptized. They may have never known the joy of leading someone to Christ. They have forgotten that joy if they have.

The boring Christian life focuses on itself. It wonders what it is getting out of every event. It wants to know how faith will help endure life's hardships. It seeks faith to give an advantage over others. The boring Christian life believes the believer should benefit over the rest of the world. The boring Christian life has no place for true sacrifice.

The boring Christian life is able to hold grudges. This believer has forgotten the cost of his own sin. He looks as his own sins as mere mistakes while seeing the sins of others as egregious. He believes he has some right to hold these grudges and thus severes his connection of grace to the Lord. Any right assumed as a Christian has to do with pride. God is always opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. A graceless Christian life is boring.

The boring Christian life either has no quiet time daily or the boring Christian is simply going through the motions and calling it a time alone with God. God cannot be fooled. He knows where the heart is. He will not meet with those whose hearts are deliberately set against others or Himself.

The boring Christian life fails to worship. The boring Christian may attend worship but does not actually worship even if he sings the songs and bows his head in prayer. Worship happens in the heart or it doesn't happen at all. Worship is giving God worth through the giving of the Christian's life. Worship does not happen when the Christian wants to claim his own self worth.

The boring Christian life never takes a risk. It doesn't tithe when finances are tight, it doesn't go on mission trips, it doesn't witness when ridicule is possible, it doesn't pray when people say the answer is impossible, nor does it do anything that puts it at risk. It doesn't allow God to invade the dreams so that the impossible can be done. It opposes all who want to challenge the impossible with what God has said. It stands in desert afraid of attempting the Promised Land.

So, the boring Christian life lacks true fellowship, heaing what the Bible says, witnessing and prayer. I suppose these are the essentials of living the Christian life. I guess that's why some Christians and churches are said to be dead. They lack the essentials of living.

The Apostle Paul's life was exciting. He witnessed when others would have told him to be quiet. He had allowed God's word to go through him so thoroughly that he connected all of God's word to living. He went places that few people would go with little resources. He trusted in God to provide for him. He knew his Lord so well that he wanted to be fully with Him.

He life was hard but it was never boring. I pray my life will not be boring either.

Philippians 1:21 (ESV) ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

The Pain of Betrayal

2012-01-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know of someone who hasn't been betrayed at some time in his life. Each person has had someone who was trusted and failed to live up to that trust. Each person has felt some measure of pain when betrayed. That pain can be excruciating when the trust was at the highest level. This can be in a spouse who is unfaithful or a best friend who makes a damning personal statement. Some people hurt so badly that they can't think of anything else.

I don't know believe there is anything I can say which will alleviate the pain. It truly hurts like hell because it is the pain of hell. Those who have trusted in someone or something else other than Christ will realize that they have been betrayed when they arrive in hell. So, betrayal is the pain of hell.

I can give you some things I have seen in my Lord which may help those who have been betrayed. As you know, He was betrayed by two of His disciples. We don't know if those who abandoned Him also betrayed Him. In a way, I suppose, even their abandonment is a betrayal.

Judas didn't kill Jesus. He just made it possible so that Jesus could be killed. He knew what he had done only after the fact. Judas never allowed Jesus to heal the relationship they had once had. He killed himself before the resurrection and did not realize what Jesus meant by conquering death.

Peter, on the other hand, was restored. Jesus heard Peter say with a curse that he didn't know Him. Jesus must have truly hurt even though He knew this was Peter's path. He had told Peter that He prayed for Peter to be "turned again." He knew what had to happen but the actual experience had to hurt. Jesus knew that the cross would hurt but the actual experience really was pain beyond belief, too.

So, I would say that you should pray for those who are close to you. You may not ever expect them to betray you but you should pray that they might be "turned" back to their relationship with the Lord so that they can also be turned back to you.

You will never be able to heal the relationship if you do not also restore the person. It does you no good to hold a grudge and wallow in your pain. You must confront them with the problem. The problem isn't that they betrayed you. The problem is in their lack of commitment in loving you. They must make a new commitment to love. Otherwise there is no restoration.

This new commitment must be questioned. While you may want reassurance, this is not the point. They need to realize what they are saying. They must say it again and again or deny that they have love for you.

The commitment must be lived our rather than simply wished for. In other words, the commitment of love must have a task that follows it. I always address the commitment of love in wedding vows. I have both bride and groom make their commitment verbally. I tell them that I expect that they will keep their vows. These vows explain the extent of their faithfulness. They are not invalidated by sickness or poverty but are always to be held in the highest regard until death takes one of the them.

But let's say that the person that betrayed you does not live out that commitment- what should you do? You cannot give that person your trust because trust is earned. There can be no trust given when it is not earned. There can be no growing relationship without trust. The person who fails to build trust is severing the relationship by his actions. You must forgive but you cannot build trust for them.

Is there a mandate for severing the relationship? No. But you must know that there isn't much of a relationship there either. Even Jesus said that divorce is possible when there is adultery.

I personally believe that you can only take so much pain. I also believe that it takes two people to have a relationship. Therefore, I never tell someone who has been betrayed that he should continue to be hurt. (For the record, I never tell them that he must stay in the relationship either.) Each person must ask himself if he has done everything reasonable to continue the relationship. (I never ask if they have done everything possible because there is always something else that could have been done.)

I pray for those who have been betrayed. I don't think betrayers really know the pain they have caused.

Luke 22:48 (ESV) ⁴⁸ but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Luke 22:60-62 (ESV) ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly.

John 21:15-19 (ESV) ¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

The Failure of Repeating Success

2012-01-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

There are two tyrannies: Things change and people will judge you. Yet, many people try to live like these are not true. They are blindsided that people judge them and fail to notice that things change.

Take for example the story of Ai when Joshua is leading the Israeli's into their Promised Land. He has just had an incredible victory at Jericho. Jericho was a royal city with thirty foot thick walls which seemed impenetrable. He listened to God, did what God said and "the walls came tumbling down."

So, his next target is Ai. A small town which would have had less than 3,000 fighting men. There was no report of the loss of life among the battle for Jericho. After the battle Joshua's fame spread throughout the land. People had judged him as a competent commander.

The city of Ai, therefore, should have posed no trouble. It was not protected as Jericho. It wasn't necessary to send the whole army against such a small group of people. Merely 3,000 men were sent. The problem was that things had changed. These were different people than Jericho. They weren't content to sit in their city and watch the Israelites. They came out of the city, chased and killed thirty-six of the Israelites. Joshua knew what this meant. His reputation was about to take a drastic change for the worse. He would lose stature among his own men as well.

Joshua failed to notice the most drastic change too. He didn't know that they no longer had the Lord's presence. He was fighting on his own with his own strategies in his own strength. In retrospect, defeat was inevitable.

So Joshua goes back to the Lord to gripe at the Lord for the defeat. He didn't see what he had done wrong. He didn't realize that things had changed and could not simply take matters into his own hands to inhabit the Promised Land. The Lord said He would give this land to the Israelites but Joshua was trying to take it for them. The Lord really doesn't want us taking what He wants to give.

Once Joshua adjusted to the change and obeyed the Lord, he was ready to take on the people of Ai. He listened to the Lord in the new situation of Ai and was again victorious.

How long did this last? Not long for the Gibeonites come wanting a treaty with Israel. They deceive the Israelites into thinking they have come from a long distance away and will be no bother to them. The Israelites look at the evidence the Gibeonites present but fail to ask for the Lord's wisdom and make a foolish treaty. They simply failed to learn from Ai. They repeated a failure rather than a success.

It is hard for most Christians to realize that there are no two situation which are exactly alike. What worked in one place does not necessarily work in another. What failed in one place does not necessarily fail in another. The only constant we should keep in making decisions is inquiring of the Lord. He knows all there is and can direct us to victory. Relying on our own resources may result in some victories but simply repeating exactly what we have done in the past is an unreliable method of success.

I have a Blackberry cell phone. It was one of the best phones on the market when I purchased it. However, Blackberry kept doing what had brought them success only to find that the market was changing. People wanted more "smart" phone technolgy rather than superior email. Thus, Blackberry is not repeating its success even though they are repeating what brought them success. Why? Because things are always changing.

The Christian life is not carbon copied between individuals. God knows the names of each person. No person is exactly alike. God has made that clear in our physical makeup. We have different fingerprints, different eyes, no one looks exactly like another person (even identical twins are different) and even our voices are different. We are unique down to our DNA! It is impossible to copy another person in minute details. We can appear to the same but it only appears that way because the measurement is flawed.

This means that I must listen to God and obey Him completely in every situation in every day. Since I am unique and those around me are just as unique, I can't repeat the success of another person in exactly the same way. I can't simply copy a mega-church pastor and grow a mega-church since I am not that pastor nor are the people in my area the same as the people in his.

So, the most pragmatic approach to ministry is to listen to the Lord in each and every situation and obey Him completely.

Believe me, this is not new news. It is just something I have to remember daily.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

From Last to Great

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

The world is very sutle as it invades the church. The things which make sense to the world are often presented as common sense. The world says that those who have paid their dues are the ones that should receive greater services. Thus, those who have been in the church for years, tithed, taught and attended should haved earned some privileges for their faithfulness.

But that is not what Jesus taught. He taught that the one who has become mature in the faith should give up all of his privileges and take the lowliest position of servant to all the others. He should not seek to have special parking or special seating. He should not seek to have the music, sermons or aesthetics of the sanctuary as merely pleasing to him. He should not expect others to serve him. He should expect to serve others.

The maturity of a believer is measured by his service. It is marked by putting others before himself. He does not have to be noticed nor does he seek being noticed. He is content that he has served his Lord. He still has ambition but that ambition is to serve his Lord even more.

I am constantly amazed at those who are afraid they will not be heard or obeyed in church. They assume that they have earned the right to tell others the way church should be. Their concern for the lost is cursory at best. They are unwilling to make changes that will reach others. They believe that the lost need to comply if they are to be reached. They have become the Pharisees who wanted privileges because of their self determined faithfulness to God.

This will never amount to anything in God's kingdom. The kingdom of privileges will never see God's presnce. God's kingdom finds those who have been the servant to all and calls them great. The greatest is a slave who claims no privileges at all.

Our own flesh hates being ignored. We (I) want to be known, obeyed, and given privileges. It is normal to think like this but we were never called to be normal. We were called to be great.

This greatness stands in the shadows among men but is seen by God as if in bright sunlight. He sees it as one who has become like His Son.

And there is no higher honor than hearing God say that we have become like His Son.

Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV) ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Clearing Out the Clutter

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

I can't continue in intense prayer all the time. I can't study my Bible around the clock. I can' t allow anything to clutter my life-even the good things.

Life gets cluttered when we fail to watch how we walk. The obsession with one activity results in the neglect of another. I can't read my Bible if I witness all the time. I can't witness if I am in intense prayer. I can't worship with others if I continually spend time alone with God. Wisdom in how we use our time depends upon using this time as the Lord leads in the moment rather than simply choosing a good thing and doing it all the time.

Much of the problem of obesity is eating without enough exercise. Both exercise and eating are good but they have to be balanced or our bodies will die. Much of the problem people have with living godly lives is that they are not balanced in the good things in their lives.

Most of us know the things we should avoid. We should avoid gossip, ungodly movies and anything else that damages our spirit and our witness. However, we struggle when it comes to the good things. We lose our balance when we focus on corporate worship without private worship, Bible study without prayer and witnessing without a quiet time (vice-versa applies to each of these). Our lives become cluttered because we haven't used the wisdom to realize that we cannot be one dimensional. Our lives require balance. It is important that we realize what we need to keep and what we need to put away. It is just as important to know what we need to do with each moment. It means that we make a trade-off with some activities. Whatever we are doing means that we can't be doing something else.

Now, I know that most people would rather that I mentioned watching tv rather than prayer or Bible study when speaking of things that will clutter your lives, but that could easily be misconstrued. Leisure is not evil. In fact, some times we need leisure more than we need work.

We should understand that we can't peg any activity as what we need to be doing all the time. We walk with the Lord daily or we don't walk with Him at all.

So, wisdom considers every moment we spend. It weighs that moment as to what needs to be done. It knows that evil will prevail when God's people fail to do what they need to do. That means they must pay attention to their Lord or their lives will get cluttered.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

The World Longs to See the Gospel

2012-01-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

Salvation is more than saying a prayer and getting dunked in water.

Many parents bring their children to me so that they can receive salvation. I don't give salvation. I don't have it to give. I lead them to give their lives to Christ. The initial acts are generally saying a prayer of commitment and being baptized. The parents are happy that their children are now going to heaven. We may not see them in church for months. I wonder what they thought salvation is.

Salvation is a changed life. It stands when it is much easier to fall. It lives when peer pressure seeks to kill it. It remains alone when there are no others who will join in. It is order while the rest of life is chaos. It is faithful when it is much easier to join the crowds of those who play with the lures of the world. It is true when all others are calling it a lie.

I preach the message of the gospel each week. There are those that think that the gospel is only the story of Jesus death on the cross but they are wrong. The gospel is also the story of believers taking up their crosses to die to themselves and become totally different persons. They will never be considered part of the mainstream of humanity again. They seek to be transformed into the likeness of Christ so that people will know the presence of Christ when they come into the believers' presence.

There will be some in the world who will severely criticize those who seek this constant living for Christ. They will claim that the committed believer is superstitious or is merely putting on a show but time proves the faith of those who are living their faith.

And in reality the world is seeking someone to believe in. They follow politicians and find all of them lacking. They seek after heroes on the battlefield or the football field. They find some whose atheletic prowess or courage admirable but often also find that their heroes are lacking in character. They have been disappointed so many times.

But when the world actually finds a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham the world is full of admiration. Many people cannot deny the faith that these people have preached by the way they have lived. They see the gospel rather than hear it alone.

Yes, the world longs to see the gospel. They have only heard it from so many of us.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 (NIV) ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,

Does Hope Have Any Value in a Fast Food World?

2011-12-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

I frequent fast food restaurants. I don't necessarily like their food. I like getting my order quickly. I have very little patience when I enter these establishments. I have an expectation of speed rather than quality.

These restaurants are always crowded. I see people who are just like me who want their desires fulfilled quickly. They also have very little patience. They want what they want right now. Tomorrow they will not be able to tell you what they ordered. Their motivation is to get in, get what they want, consume it and get out.

Does this sound like the contemporary church? Let me explain.

Hope has a different meaning for contemporary Christians than it did for New Testament Christians. Their hope was not built upon God's removal of the tribulations they were experiencing. They were looking for the return of Christ when all things would be made right. They were concerned that they would be found faithful when He came. They looked for His return daily.

I don't think most contemporary Christians see hope in that way. Their concern is that God get them out of their present situation. They ask Him for new jobs, more money, people to love them and healing for sicknesses. Of course, there is nothing wrong with praying for these things but, unfortunately, there is no thought of Christ's return in any of their prayers. The long-term hope of the redemption of the whole world is foreign to their thoughts. They see God as one who fulfills their orders for the present time rather than the One who will set all things right.

Admittedly, it has been a relatively long time since Christians began the hope for Christ's return. True faith requires continual hope because of the promise that has been made and does not waver no matter how long it takes for the promise to be fulfilled.

There are only a few contemporary preachers who speak of Christ's return. There are many more sermons which speak of a God who promotes those who believe in Him. They tell of how He removes all the obstacles which keep His followers from having what they deserve. They say that being a Christian is good for business. These sermons provide Chrisitans means for transferring God's power to themselves. As one preacher said, "I know the streets of heaven are paved with gold but I want some gold right now!" (It may not be an exact quote but it is close. I was so surprised by his audacity that I didn't write it down.)

I am sure that the New Testament Christians disliked tribulations as much as contemporary Christians. They, no doubt, also prayed that God would remove their hardships. Paul, himself, prayed that his "thorn in the flesh" would be removed. Yet, this does not seem to be their ultimate hope. They looked to the coming of Christ. They saw their salvation in His return. In fact, they knew that they would not truly experience their salvation until they were in His presence.

Oh, I still plan on praying for current needs for myself and others. But, that can't be the whole understanding of my Christianity. I want to be found faithful even if God never answers any of my present requests. (I say this with the expectation that He will indeed answer some of my requests.) I want my hope to be built on His return rather than what I will receive from Him immediately. I want to see my own salvation being fully realized at His return. I want to work as if He is returning today.

And yes, I will still go to fast food restaurants and have the same expectations as I have always had. I just don't want my faith to take the character of a fast food patron. I haven't come to my faith to get in, get what I want or get out. I have come to stay because He is coming.

And He just might come today.

Romans 8:24-25 (NIV) ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Have We Lost Our Vision?

2011-12-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am fairly insulated from the rest of the world in my office. It is a Christian environment. The staff is kind and careful to follow Christian principles. It is easy to forget what lies outside my doors. There is world that lacks the Shepherd to lead the sheep.

Jesus saw the crowds and their emptiness. They didn't know what to do with their lives. They were pursuing their own goals without any great return. They were like hamsters running on wheels that went nowhere. They were tired and dispirited with no direction or real hope. They were lost without admitting it. He had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a Shepherd.

Sheep need a shepherd to give them direction. Sheep have a tendency to follow the next blade of grass which can lead them off a cliff. They look down without noticing what is around them. They fail to see danger or where they are in relation to the other sheep. It is easy for them to get lost pursuing that next blade of grass.

Sheep are often in need of a shepherd to mend their wounds. Sheep pursue the next blade of grass so miopically that they can be cut when they slip on rocks. Sheep can be hurt by dogs or other predatory animals even if they escape or are rescued by the Shepherd. They need the Shepherd to put salve on their wounds and care for them.

Sheep have no idea how to find water. They know where it is if they remain in the same pasture but roaming sheep are led to water. They are afraid to get a drink from fast moving water. They need still water to quench their thirsts. Thus, they need the Shepherd to lead them to this water.

Sheep have no defense against predators. They need the Shepherd to protect the sheep. Wolves will try to take young sheep even with a Shepherd but the Shepherd fights them off with His staff. He puts Himself between the wolves and the sheep.

The shepherd may build a small stone wall to corale the sheep at night. He lays down as the door (gate) of this corale so that the sheep will have to cross over Him to get into trouble.

Sheep have no purpose without a shepherd. The Shepherd shears the sheep in season to provide clothing for others. It cools the sheep in the hot summer months and gives the sheep purpose.

Does this sound like those in the world today? Do they pursue the next item in front of them and get themselves in trouble? Do they get in debt or ruin their relationships because of these pursuits? Are they often wounded without anyone to heal them? Do they know how to find Living Water which will spring up from inside of themselves and quench their own spiritual thirst? Are they in need of protection? Do they need a purpose in life? Of course, people need all of these things.

People need the Great Shepherd. I need Him; you need Him. Yet, we also have the responsibility of seeing these "crowds" so that we can share the gospel. The need is for workers for the harvest is plentiful. The need is for Sunday School teachers who will spend the time to share the gospel with classes. The need is for greeters for those who will make the church an inviting place. The need is for getting outside the church to share with our neighbors and co-workers the good news of this Great Shepherd.

Have we lost our vision? Do we believe that our only ministry is to feed the poor or entice the rich? Do we think that we can merely sit in our padded pews and let the world go to hell?

We must not for someday the Great Shepherd will ask us to show us the sheep we have brought to Him. We must go and pray that others will join us. We must "see" the crowds too.

Matthew 9:36-38 (NIV) ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

An Encouraging Word Is Needed Today

2011-12-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

I do not put on rose-colored glasses and look at the world without seeing the struggles, disappointments and failures. I see the hardship and dispair in the eyes of many. This look is seen in many believers as well. So, I would like to address it. I would like for you to know some encouraging words for today.

God still loves you with an everlasting love. Nothing in the world will change that. It doesn't matter what you have done for Him or against Him; He still loves you. He has proved that love with the sacrifice of His only Son while we were still His enemies. He loves us even if we choose to reject Him.

God still has wonderful plans for us regardless of how things are going right now. He will continue to complete that which He has called into us. He will walk with us to the end of this journey.

God isn't finished with us yet. As long as we are breathing, God is working on us to create the image of His Son. He is bringing us to the joy of our salvation. He is pruning us for greater things.

God will bring us to victory. He is a God of victory; not defeat. He brings all those who will walk with Him into His victory. It doesn't matter how the battle looks at the moment. God will bring victory!

God is still as powerful as He ever was. He is still healing, speaking and bringing miracles to this earth. He is not hindered by circumstances. He uses circumstances to reveal His glory.

God is still in control. It does not matter what Satan has done for he must get permission from God to do anything at all. This means that God is using the evil that Satan is producing to create a people whose faith is in Him. He is bringing Satan to his end by allowing him to bring that evil. It is an ultimate rather than an immediate goal.

Nothing can come into your life that you and God together can't handle. Everything you face can be overcome because He is walking with you.

There is an end to any and all pain. That end may be your graduation from this life to a new life with Him in heaven or it may be the victory you will have over that pain. Cancer is no conqueror of God-- Not is MS, ALS, diabetes, Aids or any other disease.

God does not want you to be lonely and He has a solution for it. Look around and you will see God working in others to bring you what you need. He is a God who walnts us to be completed by our interaction with others. He is a God who loves us through the love of others too.

Did I say God loves you?

1 John 4:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Pass this on if you believe someone needs to know this.

Have You Been Fooled?

2011-12-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

People like to hear simple solutions. In fact, many people think they can run the country better than those in charge, diagnose their health problems better than their doctors, fix the economy better than the economists and solve unemployment without the aid of others wisdom. People see their own "simple" solutions as "the" solution. They choose not to know the problem in depth because that complicates the solution. Therefore, it is better to be ignorant of the true issues and look for simple solutions.

People like to hear simple solutions. They know the tax code is complicated so anyone who presents a very simple means of computing taxes is going to be heard. The internet has capitalized on people diagnosing their own health problems, car break downs, plumbing issues and everything which needs a solution by allowing the users to address their symptoms and giving them simple solutions. (Of course, there are more in-depth places to explore on the internet but those with the simple solutions get more traffic because they are simple.)

People believe that those who reject their solutions must have another agenda. They often say, "It just isn't that complicated!" when it is really very complicated. This is why politicians often support simple solutions by dividing the classes. Their solutions sound like, "We can pay for all your needs by taxing those who make more than 99% of the rest of us," and, "The real problem is that 47% of the country pays no taxes at all." You can see how simple the solution is for both sides. Each one says that the other should pay more. The other side has a selfish agenda. The polarization of our society is assuring that there are no solutions to our problems.

People adopt their simple solutions so fervently that they fail to see the other side. They will deny that their solution has flaws while refusing that another solution has merit. Therefore, the one who wants a higher minimum wage can't see what that will do to the small business owner. The one who is making millions only sees those who are down and out when a photo op is needed.

It is foolish to believe that many of the concerns facing our world have simple solutions. It took a long time to get into the mess that we are in and backing out of them is not going to be simple. It is foolish to believe that the problems are all because of another group. We are really all connected in this world. The solutions are for us to work out together. Trying to do so apart will fragment us farther and never provide solutions.

It is important for us to become intensely informed from both sides of the debates which present the solutions to our problems. Sticking our heads in the sand and hoping that there are others who will provide perfect solutions is foolish. Thus, we need to explore the other side of every solution so that we can see both points of view.

The real solutions to our problems are often a marriage of other simple solutions. This is not compromise. It is taking both sides to create a better solution than either side could alone.

There is one thing we should use for the basis of our understanding: There is One who will give us guidance in our solutions. Denying Him is saying that you have explored the whole universe and know there is no god. But, of course, that can't be true. Denying Him is saying that you have accepted a simple solution which says their is no god because you have truly failed to look. This is no different from those who are accepting the simple solutions for the economy, political leadership or unemployment. They chose the simple solution because they got to the real solution.

Real solutions take wisdom and instruction. Without these we will continue to languish in our problems as we point to others as the culprits of all our woes. This is no solution at all. It is foolish!

Proverbs 1:5-7 (ESV)
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Preaching God's Word

2011-12-09T01:49:00.000-08:00

Sermon preparation is both hard and easy. Preachers have to produce a sermon each week for their congregations. They simply cannot stand before the congregation and say, "Sorry, nothing came to me this week." Thus, they (we) must say something even if it is lame.

That is why it is so important to be in God's word each week for the preacher's own personal rather than public spiritual growth. Sermons should be the spill-over of the spiritual life of the preacher. They should be the word of God because God has spoken to them.

Sermons must be given as the preacher has received them. Since God does not produce "on command," sermons take time. Some times God speaks immediately but more often the preacher is forced to seek the Lord with his whole heart to hear what God wants to tell the congregation. It takes prayer (sometimes with fasting) and study of God's word. It takes the surrender of the preacher's personal desire to say what he would like to say. It requires humility since it is only by God's grace that that He speaks to the preacher.

A sermon is a tremendous responsibility. The preacher isn't there to "wow" the congregation, tell the best jokes or become a psycho-therapist. He should consider his sermon as God's word. It should be so carefully prepared that it will reflect the scripture being presented. It will explain and apply this scripture in the context of the hearers. Preaching a sermon should be seen as delivering a much needed medicine to the sick. It should be handled and delivered carefully.

Preparing a sermon is also very easy. God wants to speak to His people. He has called the preacher to deliver this message. He uses this instrument (the preacher) with precision. He speaks to the preacher who listens. Listening is not all that hard. All the preacher has to do is get out of the way and let God speak through him. Sermons are easy once that is done. Of course, the hard part is getting out of the way.

That doesn't mean that sermons don't have humor or personal touches. Look at some of the messages in the Bible. Jesus was asked whose wife a woman would be in the resurrection after she had seven husbands die on her. I imagine His first thought was, "Are you kidding? The real question is 'what is she putting in the soup?' Come now, seven brothers married to the same woman, one at a time and each one dying and there is no suspicion of malevolence!" We should see the humor in humanity as we seek to present the message. I believe that God has to laugh sometimes when He sees some of the things we have done. We should be able to laugh too.

Go to church this weekend (or whenever your church meets). Pray for your preacher in the meantime. Pray that he will deliver God's word to you rather than a well prepared but dry explanation of the scripture. God's word is life-changing.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

What to Look for in Your Next Church

2011-12-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

People visit the church I pastor every week. Most of them are looking for something. Many of them have no past connection with church. They have never been to church before. They may be looking for many things that we can't provide. We cannot become the place where every problem goes away. We can't be the people who encourage bad behavior. We can't preach Christ and other religions at the same time. Many of these people and others check us out and keep going.

There is no virtue in losing people. We are not an exclusive club which limits its membership. We are a people who seek to bring those who do not know the Lord into His presence. However, we can't violate our own principles to keep people either. We cannot take people to Christ by going somewhere else. We are limited to the teaching of the Scriptures, the leading of the Holy Spirit and our own convictions of right and wrong. It isn't that its "my way or the highway"; its "His way is the high way."

So, I write this with my own convictions to help others who are seeking a church which will lead them to the same place I want our church to lead people. What I am saying is: I know I am biased. I just want you to know that I know it.

The leadership of your new church should have several traits which should be observable. The leadership will never be perfect but these leaders should exhibit a clear separation between themselves and the world. Church leadership is in the world like the rest of the congregation but it must provide the example of living a holy life. This should be seen in a consistent time with the Lord each day, a obvious confession of sins before the Lord and an uncondemning spirit. The latter characteristic will allow the leadership to point out sin without condemning the sinner. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of sin. Church leadership can only point to the sin.

The holy lifestyle of the leadership should be seen in their righteous behavior. It will be clear that the decisions being made have been done so because of their spiritual maturity for they have prayed about each step the church should take. Sure, surveys may be taken, consultants may be consulted and trends in culture may be taken into account but the prevailing atmosphere will be one of prayer and seeking the Lord.

Because this leadership has confessed with a godly lifestyle, the congregation will know grace itself. They will understand that the leadership has given them grace and that their only godly response is to return grace to the leadership. The leadership will be blameless because of its hard work, continuing care and selfless lifestyle.

The pastor of this church will be gentle rather than harsh. I understand that there comes times for "fire and brimstone" but most of the time the sermons will be encouraging, comforting and urging the congregation to live lives worthy of God.

I personally do not understand the pastors who privately complain about their congregations. They tell me of their ignorance, failures and ungodliness. I liken this to a coach who complains about the performance of his players. Wasn't he responsible for their actions? Shouldn't he have coached them better? Shouldn't a pastor take some of the responsibility of the actions of his membership after some period of time? Isn't his responsibility to urge them to live lives worthy of the Lord?

Thus, the congregation should reflect the lives of the leadership after a period of time. The congregation will try to beat the leadership into submission if they have had long periods of being beaten by the leadership. They congregation will either live in a godly manner after being under the leadership for a long time or they will seek another church which has no example of godliness which convicts them of their sins.

Note that I have spoken of "over a period of time." Godly leadership has been oppressed in many churches which has led to verbal and political persecution. These leaders have been fired, forced to live on smaller and smaller salaries, criticized openly before the congregation and others and sent anonymous letters of malice. This is the worldly response to godliness: demonize the godly and exalt the guilty.

Obviously, you do not need to be a part of a church that is so ungodly unless God has called you to be a part of the solution of bringing that church to her knees in repentance. That is a special calling that requires a significant maturity and commitment.

So, what are you looking for? A holy leadership which leads righteously and blamelessly before the congregation which is being encouraged, comforted and urged to live in a godly manner. This congregation will also follow the characteristics of the leadership if the leadership has been there for a significant period of time. You cannot judge these characteristics by bells and whistles but by careful observation.

In the end you have to say, "Do I want to go where this congregation is going?" Of course, you should also check your own heart. Are you wanting to go where God wants you to go? Are you seeking a godly lifestyle or a place to hide and do whatever you please?

God has a part for you to play in the mission of your new church. So, where do you want to go?

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NIV) ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ¹¹ For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, ¹² encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

The Characteristics of the "Called" Minister of the Gospel

2011-12-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

Most of the people I know in the ministry are honest, hard working, God seeking, praying ministers of the gospel. They have different personalities and gifts but share some common characteristics. I have observed these people and know that God called them because of how they are used by God. Not all of them are in pastoral roles. Each of them lives out their calling in very specific ways.

Called ministers have hearts that sink into the ministry. They look forward to doing their ministry. They don't see it as work even though they will work harder than anyone would expect for the salaries they receive.

None of them are perfect. They fail at times but they are never failures. They sin at times but they are known more for their seeking the Lord rather than their sins. They express their faith by their words and the ways they live.

Called ministers don't wonder what they should do each day. They know their calling. When they don't know how or what steps to make, they go to the Lord in prayer. Their prayer life is not relegated to praying for the sick. It encompasses their ministries. These called ministers seek the Lord until they know exactly how they are to preach, lead, address issues and continue their ministries. Their outward lives may not be spectacular but their prayer lives are. Evidence of such a prayer life is seen in how they speak of prayer, how they pray publically and the time they spend in prayer. Those who go into their "inner room" to meet with the Lord come out changed. Their faith and demeanor is different from those who rely on other means of carrying out a ministry.

These called ministers need no one to monitor their work. They know the Lord is watching them at all times. They know that they work for Him and work with Him. They know that nothing will be done without abiding in Him. Therefore, they do what they do as His servants. They seek to please their Lord so fervently that no godly person will deny their work ethic.

Called ministers of God are more likely to get criticism than those who aren't. Many ministers are judged by the way they handle the politics in their areas of ministry. They speak favorably to the potential big giver even though he is living a licentious lifestyle. They pander to the whims of those who will cause the most trouble. This is not the case of the called minister. He or she is gentle with those around their ministries but careful to hold their principles regardless of the political fallout. These ministers may be "run off" or fired or given so much more hell in their places of ministry than those who are in the ministry for the job rather than calling.

Called ministers are blessings to their areas of ministry. They bring the presence of the Lord into every situation. They cause the godly to seek God more and the ungodly to be uncomfortable. They may not be great orators with great articulation but will speak loudly by their actions. They will say more with stumbling wordsof life than those whose words are beautiful on the outside but filled with death inside.

Note the called ministers around you and lift them up in prayer. Pray that, though their lives may not be easy, their ministry will bring the presence of the Lord to all those around them today.

1 Thessalonians 2:4-9 (NIV) ⁴ On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. ⁵ You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. ⁶ We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, ⁷ but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. ⁸ We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. ⁹ Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

The Church of Smoke and Mirrors

2011-12-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 2:3-5 (NIV) ³ For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. ⁴ On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. ⁵ You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness.

The Wizard of Oz was a favorite movie of mine as a child. The Wizard kept the people of Oz believing that he was all wise and all powerful by trickery. They failed to look behind the curtain at the man manipulating the gadgetry. I wonder if the message of the gospel has stooped to the smoke and mirrors of the Wizard of Oz to draw a crowd.

I once heard of a pastor who was using special gimmicks to draw in crowds. He once told people to come because a certain famous person would be at church the next week. He even went as far as to have a limo parked outside that next Sunday morning. During the worship service he announced the arrival of this famous person but failed to produce them. Then, he looked down on the congregation who had arrived supposedly for the purpose of seeing the celebrity and tell them, "Jesus comes every week and you don't come to see him!" He played on the guilt he had produced. Think of it: he told them to come because of the celebrity then, when they come, chastises them for arriving. What a gimmick!

I am not opposed to using tools which help people worship or understand. The church has used imagery to convey the gospel from the beginning. Paul spoke of the monument to the "Unknown God" as he shared the gospel in Athens, Jesus picked up children while expressing the need to come into the Kingdom of God as children and healed them so that people would understand who He is by His power and glory. There were times when God used spectacular events like fire falling to light an altar or the stopping of the Jordan River to reveal His will. But these were not gimmicks. They were genuine acts of faith and miracles of God!

I am glad that there are many churches growing like weeds. I just don't want them to be weeds. I want them to accurately share the gospel with all of its truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. I would love to see them have a spiritual awakening that cannot be explained by the presence of a charismatic preacher. I would love to hear that God is moving without any other explanation.

A guy once told me, "If they come to your church for a hotdog, they'll leave your church for two hotdogs." The problem with gimmicks is what you do for an encore. You have to keep doing more and more spectacular feats to get people to come back. This is like the tv ad which is so amazing that no one can remember the product that is being sold. Gimmicks which draw attention away from the gospel diminish the power and truth of the gospel.

Jesus did not come to me with any gimmick. The Holy Spirit convicted me and revealed the truth. I was alone when I asked Jesus into my heart. A couple of years later, after walking away from my faith, the Holy Spirit came to me while alone and convicted me. He helped me remember the joy of the Lord. I pledged to Him that I would remain steadfast and asked Him for continued conviction. I have not lived perfectly but I have been one who confesses often and seeks Him regularly because He draws me near. None of this came with any smoke and mirrors.

I suppose someone could think I am just full of sour grapes. They think I feel this way because my church is not experiencing the phenominal growth of the church of smoke and mirrors. I hope that is not he case and I want the Holy Spirit to convict me of this if it is.

My problem is that I talk with a lot of people who do not understand the gospel. They come to church regularly, were baptized as children and nod their heads in agreement with Jesus as the Messiah, but do not have a powerful relationship with the Lord. They believe that everyone is going to heaven. They have no daily time in God's word. Their prayer life is almost non-existent. I wonder what they think I am talking about when I speak of walking with the Lord.

The gospel must be preached with and by the power of God. It must reach people through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It must change people from the inside out.

The filling of a church by smoke and mirrors is a sham. It reveals the lack of faith found in the preachers who produce this trickery. They do not believe the gospel has the power to draw people or convict them so they resort to means they can produce.

Jesus said,"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." I believe that those who resort to thing apart from Jesus are doing nothing though it looks like a lot, but isn't looking like you are doing something when you really aren't the nature of using smoke and mirrors?

When Is a Ministry a Failure?

2011-12-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

Many pastors are discouraged. Many of them are secretly looking for another profession. They may even be looking to their denominations to "promote" them out of their present ministries. Though they have cried out to God, they have not seen any results. Each Sunday is the same. Their churches shrink slowly and they are wondering just how much longer they can endure their own "failures."I have found that the problem most pastors face is not failure but how success is measured.

Success is not measured by comparison.
Each pastor's mailbox is filled with the success stories of the mega-pastors. Their churches are full, the giving is more than they know how to spend and their books are best sellers. The pastor of the shrinking church wonders why this hasn't happened to him. He knows he has prayed. He knows that he has studied the Bible. He knows that he has done the best job he knows to do. He spends much of his time making sure the air conditioning works the next Sunday. He works hard to see each one of the sick and pays special attention to those who are feeling the hurt of divorce, the loss of a loved one or the emptiness of unemployment. He knows the mega-pastor doesn't even know all of his staff, much less all of his members. He wonders why he is in this position while these others are allowed to write books and preach all over the world.

Success is not measured by desire.
Many pastors saw their ministries differently while they were in seminary. They were on a equal plain with most of the other students. They didn't see that others sermons were that much better than theirs. They saw themselves going to grow churches. They wanted desperately to baptize hundreds each year. They wanted to see new buildings erected as they led churches to be leaders in giving to missions. Their desire hasn't wained but their reality hasn't met their desires. They still want this. It just isn't happening.

Success is not measured by complaints.
I believe that each church has five people who are sent by Satan to complain. These people side up to the pastor at first and stab him in the back at the first opportunity. They complain and stir up trouble under the guise of being concerned for the church. They have been a part of running off the past three pastors and they don't feel that their work on earth is yet done. These people are rarely the ones who lead the charge. If something is said often and widely enough people will believe it is the truth. These complainers are saying it often and to as many people as possible.

So, how should a ministry be evaluated?

A ministry should be measured by calling.
Pastors are called to the ministry not to success. They are to fulfill the role rather than to be admired, become famous or write books. They are called to lead in the church where they are. They are not called to become the character and personality of a known mega-pastor. Pastors should praise the ministries of these mega-pastors but never measure their success against them.

A ministry should be measured by obedience.
It isn't desire that makes one great but obedience. Desire can mislead us to do things that we should never have done. Obedience to our Lord is all that counts. It isn't how much we have been given but what we have done with it that really counts. The Parable of the Talents should teach us that God expects us to take what we have had entrusted to us and be obedient with it.

A ministry should be measured by changed lives.
The pastor should spend some time each day alone with the Lord. He should be changed by His presence so that he can share this change with those around him. Changed lives are measured one life at a time. The pastor should never overlook the one in order to see the hundreds. Lives are not changed by mere church attendance. Many people come to church every week and are still white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones. Pastors should focus on those who are being changed by the presence of the Lord rather than the complaints of the five people who were sent to literally raise hell in their churches.

Maybe your pastor is feeling like his ministry is in vain. He has been called, faithful and is seeking the Lord in his own life. His ministry is changing folks but he may not even know it. It may be up to you to tell him that his ministry is not in vain. You have been changed!

1 Thessalonians 2:1 (NIV)
¹ You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.

Church: There's an App for That!

2011-12-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

Acts 17:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹ Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰ You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." ²¹ (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul went to Athens to share the gospel to a group of people who were continually looking at new ideas. They were Greek "geeks" of the day. Paul seized the opportunity to address these who wanted to hear what he said because it was new.

Paul used the setting to address them. The Athenians had filled their streets and buildings with idols but they also had an inscription to "an unknown god." Paul knew that they had searched everywhere but did not know God. He knew they had not found Him in all their idols and explained to them who God really is. Some scoffed at the resurrection, others wanted to hear more and a few became believers.

Paul employed the culture of the area to share the good news of Jesus Christ. He sought to win some with each message he preached. He knew that there would be nothing that would win all so he searched for ways to reach people with the gospel.

My church has just created a mobile app so that people can communicate the gospel in today's environment. The app tells about the church, allows the user to post prayer requests (which are pushed out to all other users), provides a venue for watching sermons, gives the calendar of church events and encourages people to invite others to church with one click to "Tell a Friend." It is using the environment of this day to reach the next generation. I think this is something that Paul would have done.

Please check out our app and see if it is something you would like to suggest to your own church. Let's reach the world one person at a time. Let's use every available means.

In the Apple Store search by entering "Thalia". (no quotes) In the Android app store search by entering "TLBC" We are Thalia Lynn Baptist Church. The company we used to create this app can be contacted by clicking on "More" at the bottom right of the app and scrolling down to "Built By."

Are You Worthy of Imitation?

2011-11-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (NIV) You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Paul commends the Thessalonians for imitating those who had brought them the gospel. Paul, Silas and Timothy had lived such an exemplary life among the Thessalonians that the imitation of their lives was also an imitation of the Lord. That significanly differs from those who say, "Do as I say, not as I do!" The Christian should live his life worthy of imitation.

Maybe you have seen evangelists come to your church in big buses or with incredible fanfare and thought secretly, "Its no wonder why they preach the gospel. Just look at the lifestyle it allows them to live!" These evangelists are typically isolated from the people except when preaching. They are wisked away after each meeting. They are kept in lavish hotels, dined at the best restaurants and fitted to the finest clothing. Very few people know how they really live their lives. The only knowledge you have of them is their own testimonies and in these they make themselves heroes even when they confess their sins. They cannot be an example because those who come to the Lord under their preaching do not know them.

These Thessalonian beleivers had welcomed the gospel even though they were going through great suffering. They saw that Paul, Silas and Timothy were not rich evangelists who came into to town, wowed everyone and headed to the next town. Paul set up his tent making business there. He was there long enough to establish this trade. Some have estimated that he was there for two years or more. (Acts 17 makes one believe that he was only there a few weeks but this can't be the case from Paul's own testimony in 1 Thessalonians 2:9)

There are two ways to get people to think more of you. One is to leave quickly and/or keep yourself so isolated that no one knows your faults. The other is to live in such a way that they appreciate and wish to imitate your behavior. Paul, Silas and Timothy have done this. They have lived closely enough to the Thessalonians that they were able to imitate them. It is clear that Paul wanted these new believers to act this way. It is also clear that he knew that they were watching.

It has been said that the Christian is the only Bible some people will ever read. Many people have welcomed the thought of Christ but rejected the gospel when the observed the actions of Christians. It should be evident to every believer that others are watching. It should be evident that they will probably become imitators of those whom they have observed.

The Christian life should be lived with the desire that others will imitate your life. This is not arrogance. It is placing yourself under the lordship of Jesus Christ so that your boasting will be of Him and how He changed your life.

It is giving God the glory.

Why Is Forgiveness so Hard?

2011-11-29T03:36:00.000-08:00

Forgiveness is an easy thing to speak of. Believers know that they are forgiven and should forgive others. They admonish each other to do so. The real difficulty comes when they have either done something so egregious that they believe it exists only in the realm of the perverted or when someone has done something to them which has hurt them deeply. Then, forgiveness is very hard.

Church should be where forgiveness reigns. The church proclaims forgiveness on billboards, literature and from the pulpit weekly. The church websites share the gospel of forgiveness given by Jesus Christ our Lord. No good church member denies forgiveness . . . until forgiveness must be given.

So, why is it that the individual members and the corporate body of believers have so much trouble with forgiveness? The answer is easy: they are obeying the ruler of this world.

John records in Revelation 12:10:

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Satan stands before God day and night reciting our sins. He is saying these things because he seeks to injure God. He is saying these things because he understands nothing of forgiveness. He believes God should continue to hold them against us. He is condemned already. Forgiveness is beyond him. His nature is that he will never ask for it nor will it ever be granted to him.

Thus, condemnation is a rule for this ruler. It is the rule he, himself lives under. He believes that it cannot be overcome but that it can prevail so that his realm will be full of people who stand unforgiven and are perfectly fine with their condemnation before God because Satan either believes he will win over God or that he can hurt God by making people believe that forgiveness is a fantasy.

Jesus said of Satan:

John 12:31 (ESV)
Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

This world and all that is in it has been judged. Satan is the ruler of this world. He has been granted the ability to make the rules of the world. Therefore, the most natural act is to obey the rules of this world. The rules of this world from Satan are chaos and condemnation. Those who lack forgiveness are obeying the ruler of this world. They are acting naturally rather than spiritually.

Does that mean that God has lost control? Absolutely not! Satan can only act where he has been granted permission. That is why Satan seeks to keep prayer far from the believers. Prayer acts in the spiritual world where the battles are fought. Prayer brings Satan defeat. He cannot stand a group of believers earnestly praying together. He will do whatever he can to hinder it.

Forgiveness also exists in the spiritual world. It is remembering that someone has committed an act of pain but never bringing it up to condemn them. Satan cannot understand this. This is why he stands before God to remind God of our sins.

Forgiveness is so hard because people try to forgive in this world. They think that forgiveness is natural. It is not. It is supernatural. Thus, even those non-believers who forgive are doing so because they, too, have been created with in the image of God. That image of pre-falled glory which was stamped on every person allows them to forgive some things. But not everything is easy to forgive. Some things require the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus.

Have you ever wondered why you have to forgive things more than once? Remember, Satan does not understand forgiveness. You are still in his world. It is natural to remember and feel all the emotions of something that you have already granted forgiveness for.

Thus, you must keep your mind of the Spirit if you are to overcome the condemnation you feel for other or even yourself. Forgiveness is not of this world It is of God. All sins, those who have been committed against you and God, have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, you cannot hold it against someone when they have sinned against you. If you do, you have a higher standard than God for He accepts the blood of Jesus.

This is something Satan cannot grasp.

The "Election" of the Believer

2011-11-26T03:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did some Christmas shopping. The Apple Store was very different from all the others I visited. Someone greeted me as I entered the store. I told the guy (I think they call him a genius but I have my doubts. ) what I wanted He asked if I already knew what model and color I wanted. I told him exactly the model, color and capacity I wanted to buy. He directed me to a place right by the door. A few moments later a young lady with a mobile credit card reader reached directly behind herself to pick up the product I wanted, scanned it, took my credit card, bagged my product, emailed the receipt and thanked me for coming in. The total shopping experience took less than five minutes. I am a guy and this is my way to shop!

Lots of believers think this also gives a picture of salvation. They believe that God places an order for those whom He wants saved. Since He has already paid of their salvations, He can pick them up without regard for what they want for their lives. They have no choice but to go with Him. They call this election. I don't see it this way.

The Bible clearly speaks of election. It means "called out." I believe it is much more special than God's ordering system to bring people to heaven. I believe it involves the person's response to the gospel as much as God's calling.

I have been hit with following question in the past: "If the only way to salvation is Jesus, then what about all the people in darkest Africa who never heard of Him? Are they condemned because they never heard?" This has been a "show stopper" for many people sharing Christ over the years. So, here is my answer.

God is a loving and a gracious God. God gave His only Son for the salvation of souls. He has sent missionaries and witnesses long distances and into dangerous situations to bring salvation to people. He will send this message anywhere it will be received. In some cases the message would not have been received because the people are steeped so deeply in their own personal self interest religion that there is no need to send the Word. In other cases, I believe God still gives grace to those who would believe. I remain that God's character does not change. He remains a loving God.

Thus, the word "election" is not one that makes a person special only because of God's choice for it also makes the person special because of their choice of Him. He knows who will respond. He gives grace. He even gives His grace from the response of those who believe to share with those who will never believe.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to tell them how special they were. God had chosen them. He told how the gospel had been received in power, the Holy Spirit and full conviction. The presence of God was there to present this gospel to them. The Holy Spirit filled these believers and they fully believed. Their election was dependent upon their response.

Stephen preached a powerful message before a group of Jewish people. His message had power and he saw a vision of Christ standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit but the people rejected his message because, as he told them, "you always resist the Holy Spirit." The problem was not with the power of the gospel or the presence of the Holy Spirit but their own resistance to the message that came from Him. (Acts 7)

The fact that it also depends upon our response does not diminish the grace God has given us. He sent the message to a people who did not deserve to hear it. His Son died for those who killed Him. There is no good that we can do to save ourselves nor are we ever to earn this privilege. We are totally dependent upon that message coming to us. We need to receive the faith necessary to have the conviction necessary for salvation.

God has worked miracles through the believer and non-believer. He has used circumstances to bring people to Himself. He has urged and used others to repeatedly give the gospel message to some. He has literally moves the world for the salvation of one and He continues to move the world for the salvation of one at a time. The gospel is no pyramid scheme. Everyone is directly attached to the Owner.

Why would God have allowed Adam and Eve to sin if He really wanted programmed robots in His kingdom? Why would He allow any of us to sin or even allow any of us to be born if He simply willed a few to Himself? The answer is simple. He wants people to decide for themselves and His election those who do very special.

You see, we forget that God does not have to take us. He could reject those who want to believe in Him if He wasn't the loving, gracious God we know Him to be.

Yes, I believe in election. I think it makes those who know Him very special.

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (ESV)
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

The Essence of Being a Christian

2011-11-25T03:11:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (ESV)

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most people lie somewhere in between a true faith in Christ and a convinced belief in atheism. These people will agree in the presence of a god but will not know the true God personally. They may or may not go to church. Their motivation for doing so in external. They may do it to please someone, make business contacts or even use church as a social connection point but there is no intrinsic value of church for them. They may claim to be spiritual but their understanding is more paranormal than biblical. They may have made a public declaration of faith in Christ as a child but this act has no real meaning to them now. They truly lack the three essential elements of a saving faith in Christ.

Faith is not really explainable. Some people think faith is believing in something that you know isn't true. Some others believe it is something that exists within the believer which keeps him believing even when there is no external evidence. But faith is a gift of God which exists on the spiritual plane. It speaks to the spirit within the person who believes. The person cannot explain that at one moment he did not believe and in another he does. He cannot give the steps which brought him to his belief. Something happens. It works within the individual. Salvation is born.

How does anyone know the stories of Jesus are true? Two weeks ago I was in Crete talking with a guide about Paul's shipwreck near where we were. She disputed the possibility of the shipwreck because of bad weather. I told her the Bible said that this is what happened. She asked, "But can you really believe the things in the Bible?" I told her that I did.

She was looking at what she had observed and concluding that her own personal history proved that the Bible was wrong. What if that is applied to the gospel? How many of us can say that we have seen a man who was dead for three days rise from the tomb and ascend into heaven? Our own personal experience would rule out the possibility of a resurrected Lord. It takes more than wanting to believe to convince ourselves of the gospel. It takes a work of the Lord to bring faith into our lives. It takes a work of faith on our part in accepting the truth of the gospel.

That work of faith continues in our lives as a labor of love. The work that the Lord does continues in what we do. The two cannot be separated. We serve because we love our Lord. That love is also an act of faith. Think about it for a minute. Christians love a man whom they personally know but who died almost 2000 years ago. This is akin to a man telling you that his mother was a tomato unless you have faith. The fact that Christians will give their lives to share this faith with others reveals the love they have for Him. This is not a intellectual belief. No one would claim first person love for someone who died so long ago without either being crazy or having had God given encounters with Him. It means that this man who died is still alive tin order o have personal encounters with Him today.

Love is also unexplainable. It causes us to do things we would never have done unless someone is watching. It gets the mother up late at night to feed her baby. It makes a man work harder than he would for himself to provide for his family. It causes a daughter to give a kidney to her ailing father. Love may involve labor but it is not seen as labor to the one in love. It is seen as a privilege.

Christians fix their eyes on the prize. They have a steadfast hope in seeing Jesus. They look forward to His return and still expect to see Him when they die. Their hope is met with opposition. There are those who will try to convince them that they are merely believers in fairy tales. They will tell them that this world is all there is. They will say that self sacrifice makes no sense other than its own personal benefits in this world. They will claim that Christians do not care about those in this world as much as those who put their hope in this world.

But is that really true? How many hospitals or schools have been started by atheists? If there true hope was in this world wouldn't they make sure that this world was the best it could be?

Believers look to see Jesus and therefore do the things of Christ until He returns. They work toward healing because this is His calling upon them. They open schools so that the gospel can be spread through knowing the Word of God and through the professions of Christians in the world. Christians look to Jesus with a passion that will not allow them to be the only ones who will see Him. Their hearts cry out for others to believe. They pray for their loved ones salvations.

The essence of being a Christian is found in the work of faith within the believer, the labor of love which is both being done to and by the believer and the steadfast hope in seeing Christ again and bringing others to faith.

I have recently been around people who have gone to church all their lives but who do not understand any of this. They were raised in their churches and continue to attend. I suppose that being raised in a garage won't make you a Volkswagen either.

Which Is Most Important?

2011-11-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

People often come to our church and remark on the atmosphere within the building. They talk of the people they meet rather than how our building looks. The sanctuary is still beautiful but it needs serious upgrading. The halls are narrow, the restrooms are inadequate and there are always lots of repairs. Our church's greatest impact is in the attitude of the people. There is something very different about them.

This does not appeal to many. They want a church that looks like a Taj Mahal and do not care if the people are cold. They like to rub shoulders with the well-to-do rather than those who may not know what they will do tomorrow. They come and make the decision to walk out before they meet a single person.

It has been said that a "best seller" is a book that everyone wants to own but no one wants to read. It is important that you have it and can tell others that you do. It does not matter what's on the inside as long as it is on display at the owner's house.

This is the same issue people face when coming to church. Many fail to see which is more important. Their relationship with their Lord is about how it looks and how it performs rather than the relationship that is born within them when they believe. They are not so fascinated that souls are won to Christ as that they walk into huge opulent buildings. They want their church to be known so that people will admire them for attending there even if they don't attend very much.

Putting it frankly, it is more important that people come to know Christ than they walk into great buildings. The work of Christ to save a soul is more powerful than building a building. It is more important that your soul is saved than what you have or can do for the Lord.

Not everyone at our church is saved. Many come without a knowledge of Christ. They come like a blank page which can have salvation or damnation written on it. They watch and learn as the Holy Spirit draws them closer. They are not attracted to our buildings for they are nothing to be attracted to. They see those within the church who are struggling with the same issues in life as they struggle. They know there is something different about these people but they don't know what it is.

There is nothing more important than having your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. There is nothing more important than your eternity made secure by trusting in Christ as your savior. It is more important than anything that you can do for the Lord. You may be instrumental in building a huge building for your church or you may even confront a demon and rebuke him in the name of Christ but it will not be more important than your salvation.

So, don't rejoice so much in what you have done for the Lord but rejoice in what He has done for you. He has given His life so that you can have eternal life with Him. This is most important.

Luke 10:17-20 (NIV)
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."

18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Does God Expect Me to Be Thankful for Everything?

2011-11-23T02:46:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

No, God does not expect you to be thankful for all things. Paul wrote that thankfulness should be found in all of life's experiences. It does not mean faithful followers will thank Him for the tragedies in life. It means that their thankfulness continue even though struggles abound.

How can that happen? I'm glad you asked.

James says:

James 4:4 (NIV) ⁴ You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Not many people feel that they have earned the title of adulterous. James' caustic attitude toward friendliness with the world makes it justified. He was saying that this world should not replace the love we have for God. It should not be seen as our father nor as our permanent home. It should not be seen as that which provides our every need. We are in the world but we cannot be of the world.

For the past two weeks I have been in the Mediterranean on a cruise. Over three hundred of us followed the second and third missionary journeys of Paul. It was enlightening. However, many of us said that the cruise was best part. Each day we ate what we wanted, were served by others who cooked what we wished, cleaned after us, entertained us and anticipated our wants before we wanted them. Two days of pampering made many of us say, "I could get used to this." And that is the problem with friendliness to the world. We wish to make permanent that which is temporary.

I noticed something totally unexpected on this cruise. Many of the people, though given service like they have never had before, began to complain more and more. Their spirit of thankfulness diminished rather than increased. Their level of expectation increased as the service had increased. Instead of being thankful for the way we were being treated, they were becoming more critical. Friendliness with the world means that there is some expectation that the world owes something to us. Receiving it makes many people forget that this is not our home so that they seek all their fulfillment from the world. But the world simply cannot provide this. Therefore, they feel an emptiness and complain because they, like a drug addict, believe their problem is a deficiency of what has made them feel good.

Understanding that this world is not our home allows us to understand that we are being prepared for something more than this world. Paul wrote:

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV) ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Struggles develop perseverance in those who realize the world is not their home. They realize that nothing comes into their lives without God's knowledge. They know that He will carry them through the struggle if they will walk with Him. Their walk develops their strength. That strength becomes character by which others recognize them. They are seen to be trustworthy toward their Lord because they have not faltered when the "going got rough." Their hope in the resurrection grows. They look forward to the time they will walk with their Lord rather than backwards.

The bodies we are born in wear out. Things fall out, turn other colors, wrinkle up, creak and simply hurt. The body falls apart the longer we live. It diminishes in strength. This is not true for the spirit that has been born again. The spirit who walks with the Lord through the struggles develops more strength, stronger character and steadfast hope. The Christian should be at his strongest at the end of his life. The hope should become a bright beacon for the believer. That hope becomes a source of thankfulness when the struggles arise. It does not make the bad things which are happening good, but it does give them a purpose. A Christian should become more thankful as he matures even during the struggles because he knows that God will make him stronger in hope.

Peter wrote:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
God receives glory when we walk faithfully through struggles. God does so in one of two ways. Either God uses our struggles to perform a miracle which will show His power, glory and love or He walks with us through these things to show His power, glory and love. I can think of two examples.

In John 9 Jesus and His disciples pass by a blind man. Knowing that the man was born blind they ask, "Was it because of his sin or his parents that he was born blind?" Their understanding was that this kind of tragedy must have resulted from sin. Jesus tells them that it wasn't because of the man's sin or the sin of his parents that he was born blind (note that Jesus didn't say that either was sinless) but his blindness was so that the works of God could be displayed in him.

Each struggle that faces us is an opportunity for God to show His work. It may be that God will simply do a miracle that will result in others (and ourselves) giving Him glory and honor because He has miraculously removed the struggle.

On the other hand, this does not mean that every struggle results in God's removal of the problem. Paul records in 2 Corinthians 12 that he has a "thorn in the flesh" which he has asked God repeatedly to remove. Each time God has told him that His grace was sufficient. Paul understands that this thorn was so that he would not be so full of himself. He understands that it is how God is displaying His power through him.. Thus, Paul gives glory to God for his weakness.

In either case, thankfulness should prevail. Either God will remove the struggle or walk with the believer through the struggle. Both display God's love, power and glory. The mature believer should recognize this and thank God for being used in such a way.

But these are not the only reasons we should continue in our thankfulness even though we are struggling. Paul also wrote:

Romans 8:28 (NIV) ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God takes good and bad thing and works it for those who love Him; for those who as believers are called according to His purpose. It does not make bad things good but caused good things to happen from the bad.

Joseph was hated by his brothers. Most of them wanted to kill him but they decided instead to sell him into slavery. He was seventeen at the time. He rose to the top of Potiphar's household only to be wrongly accused by Potiphar's wife. He was sent to prison. In prison he interprets dreams. He is forgotten and looks to live out the rest of his life in prison. Then, Pharoah has a dream that bothers him. One, who has had Joseph interpret a dream in prison, tells Pharoah about Joseph's ability. He is brought out of prison, interprets the dream and is made second in command to Pharoah. Joseph is thirty years old.I imagine that Joseph could not make much sense of his circumstances for the thirteen years he was either in slavery or prison.

Nine to ten years later his family comes because of a great famine. He is able to provide for his family's existence because of his place in before Pharoah. His tragedies have resulted in his whole family's salvation.

After their father dies, Jospeh's brothers are afraid that Joseph will take his revenge on them for what they have done. Instead Joseph replies, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Joseph couldn't call what his brothers had done as good. It wasn't. Yet, he could see that God had used it for good.

And God always will make it for good. So, the next time you are in the middle of something that is horribly bad you can still remain thankful because you know that God will make something good happen.

In fact, the next time you are in the middle of something bad and you can't see what He will do, say these words to yourself, "God isn't finished yet!" Then give thanks.

What Ever Happened to Putting Others First?

2011-11-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

The committee assigned to reduce the deficit spending of our government has failed. The failure comes from their inability to agree on how it should be done. Each one of them knows that cutting anyone's expected benefits will be political suicide. Maybe some of them were willing to do so but I bet that most of them weren't.

Most people realize that our country cannot continue spending at its current level without raising taxes significantly. Most of them have agreed that the spending must be reduced. Some believe that the taxes must also be raised. The real problem is that each group of people believes that another group of people should bear the burden. Each is fine with the spending cuts and the raising of taxes if their areas are not cut nor are they taxed more. (There are a few exceptions.) Thus, entitlements and raising taxes on everyone is off the table. Thus, 99% want to tax the 1%. (This, too, is a type of bullying.) Everyone is happy as long as someone else pays the price of reducing the deficit.

Amazingly, even church members are in agreement with this. People are not opposed to sacrifice as long as someone else is doing the sacrificing. They love to hear the story of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross but fail to see need for any sacrifice they should make because of their faith. Therefore, they do not give sacrificially, serve sacrificially nor put others before themselves sacrificially.

One lady in a former church told (not "asked") a guy to get up from his seat because this is where she always sat. She did not care whether he was new to the church, knew the Lord or was simply there to explore the claims of Christ. Her comfort was more important than his.

I have found that everyone generally agrees with me on Christ's teaching of sacrifice but they do not want to put it into practice. They believe that being a Christian and church member provides benefits rather than sacrifice.

The Apostle Paul understood that no one can truly know Christ and claim all his benefits at the same time. He realized that you have to put all those things aside that should have provided privilege in order to know Him. He considered it a privilege to do so.

The early Chrisitans sold what they had and gave it to those in need. They understood what Jesus said in being sacrificial. They did so because their hearts were changed. Can anyone truly call himself a Christian without a changed heart? Doesn't Christianity require that others be placed first? Doesn't it say that the greatest is the servant of all?

Self sacrifice is such a distinct virtue that it makes the Christian stand out in our society. It says that we should come forward and say that we will sacrifice for others. Who else will do this? Who else understands that releasing things from your own control allows you to have what you really need?

What good is it that a man should own the world and lose his soul? What good will anything of this world be when we are with our Lord? What good is it now if we can't know our Lord because of these things?

The world says that sacrifice is fine as long as I am not the one sacrificing. Our faith in Christ says that sacrifice is simply following the example of our Lord.

I suppose that putting others first is just not in vogue for many Christians.

Philippians 3:8 (NIV) ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)
²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

Matthew 16:26 (NIV)
²⁶ What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

What do you think these verses mean?

New Wineskins; New Wine

2011-11-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

Has the Spirit stopped doing new things in our churches? I think not. While I am not that creative, nor am I considered by anyone to be "cutting edge" I realize that there are many new things going on within churches which brings a new life.

Many years ago "contemporary" worship appeared. Many churches had serious problems with it. These were traditional churches whose members were ready to demonize the new forms of worship. So many churches fought the battles of this "new wine in old wineskins." It seems that the familiar is always best is universal throughout time.

I personally remember hearing people say that they would never own an answering machine or a cell phone. Those people supposed that their resistence to the new would stop the technological progress. It didn't and many of them own answering machines and cell phones.

I personally have a hard time with facebook and twitter. I haven't gotten the hang of them yet. There are some things that some people are saying that I just don't want to know. That doesn't mean that this means of communication is invalid. It is merely a personal preference.

Churches which miss the understanding of these parables of patches on old garments and new wine in old wineskins are destined to struggle, at best, or die, at worst. They will try to live in the new world around them while patching their holes with the new members who will not fit into their church.

Many churches die because the neighborhood around them changes while the churches remain the same. The members shut their doors and say that everyone is welcome who resembles those who are already in the building. Visitors come but they don't stay. Some leave because they know that they must become like these people who are already members of the church. Others leave because they know that they are not really welcome.

Yes, I have often heard the stories of people in other countries who stand for hours to worship. I am told that these people would be grateful to worship with our oldest hymns and most stoic of traditions. I have no doubt that this is true. I also know that I am not in those countries and imposing that standard on the people to whom I am reaching is like trying to use unshrunk cloth to patch and old garment.

Jesus statement, of course, dealt with the fact that the change He was bringing was not like the old Judaism that had existed for thousands of years. He was bringing something new that would have to be dealt with as something new. He continues to bring new things which must be dealt with in new ways. His commission to make disciples has never changed but the methods to do so certainly have. The methods of worship and reaching people will bring newness which must be met with adoption rather than resistence. It should not be demonized as evil but as birthing new life into the believers and His church.

Recently, I heard someone say, "The old ways are best." I didn't ask whether he liked washing his clothes on a washboard or riding his mule to work. I didn't ask if he used the same old roads he always used or got on the freeway to travel. I didn't even ask if he still used a hand saw instead of a power saw. I just smiled.

Matthew 9:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶ "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Is the Christian Life All or Nothing?

2011-11-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

A rich, young man comes to Jesus and asks Him what it takes to obtain eternal life. Jesus gives the expected answer, "Keep the commandments."

"These have been kept since I was a boy!" is the excited reply.

Immediately, Jesus felt love for this young man. He told him then, "You do lack one thing. Go sell all you possess and give it to the poor. Then, come follow me." But the young man sadly walked away.

I suppose the young man could have said he had sold everything and come followed Jesus but he went away sad because he knew that he just couldn't pull the wool over Jesus' eyes.

Is eternal life contingent upon a complete commitment to Christ? Can people acknowledge Jesus as Lord without truly making Him Lord and still be His? Can the relationship with Jesus be so compartmentalized that a person can be fully devoted to Christ at church and still do whatever he wants everywhere else?

The scriptures are clear: we must be fully committed, acting under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This is not about being perfect. It is about our commitment. Our commitment is to do what He says, be what He has called us to be and to confess each failure. The latter carries a guarantee that we shallb e cleansed from all unrighteousness so that we can do what He says and be what He has called us to be.

Let's say you have an employee who is expected to work forty hours per week. This employee consistently works thirty one hours each week. Would that employee's work ethic be accepted as satisfactory or would correction be in order? What would be the action of the employer if the employee continued to skip work like this? Would we expect a holy God to accept blatant refusal of being totally committed when we wouldn't expect an earthly employer to accept substandard performance?

Grace is the forgiveness that God gives His followers who seek to follow Him fully. That grace came at the price of the total commitment of Jesus Christ on the cross. It demands our own commitment even though there will be failures.

This is not about working for or earning salvation. There is nothing any of us could have done to earn salvation. It is truly unmerited. Our own good will never erase our bad. The price of sin had to be paid; the sacrificial death of Jesus. That is something that we realize with our commitment to Him. Our commitment does not pay the price of sin. Our commitment is the realization of His payment for our sins.

The most miserable existence is found in a believer who is living a partially committed life. There will always be doubt and conflict in his life. There will always be a sense of guilt and restlessness. He will be like a poor child who is only allowed to watch other children receive the good gifts of their parents. He will know they exist and may pretend to have them, yet also know that he is pretending.

One of the people I baptized this past Sunday said in her testimony, "For a very long time, I believed in God and Jesus and prayed allthe time but I don't think I was totally committed to living for Jesus. Then, it seems suddenly, God has jerked me up and said, 'You're going to church, you're going to commit yourself, you're going to follow me, you're going to learn my word, and I have a plan for you!' I went from trying to do everything in life on my own to wanting Jesus is every step. I went from not understanding God and Jesus and many other things to, 'I'm going to stop making excuses and I'm GOING to figure this out!' I went from never going to church, EVER, and never reading the Bible to going to every part of the church I can and I'm reading the Bible every chance I get. And I keep reading in the Bible over and over that if I believe, then I'm supposed to be baptized."

I believe she gets it. How many others have been sold a cheap gospel story which preaches that salvation is only "fire" insurance?

Mark 10:21 (NIV) ²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Journey to the Center of My Soul

2011-11-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV) ³⁶ "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷ Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
What is left in my heart, soul or mind if I have loved God with all of them?

There is nothing left but the love of God. This love enables all other love to flow through me. It is central to my being.

Yet, I also find:

Luke 14:26-27 (NIV) ²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

How can there be hate in my life if love has filled my heart, soul and mind?

What Jesus is trying to tell us is absolutely foreign to much of the preaching and teaching that I hear today. This preaching says that we must put God first in lives as if He is on a list with other things. Jesus does not say this at all. He puts God in a totally different category as all other things in our lives. He makes God to be the center of the life of a disciple rather than simply someone that we love more than other things or other people.

The Matthew statement by Jesus says that we should love others as ourselves. It is obvious that Jesus is saying that we should love ourselves and our neighbors. The Luke statement says that we must hate our own lives if we are to be His disciples. Many people want to make this an act of comparison. In other words, they say our love for Jesus should be so great that the love we have for our wives, children and own lives is really hate in comparison. That explanation doesn't really for the logical conclusion is continually neglecting our families and ourselves in defference to God if we are to be true disicples. This is not compatible with other scriptures.

Paul tells us:

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Many scholars point out that "fruit" is singular. The verb "is" is also singular. However, many people want to claim that there are nine "fruits" of the Spirit. If this was true both "fruit" and "is" would be plural. This means that the fruit of the Spirit is love by which all other qualities spring forth. This means that the love that I have brings joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This means that the love that I have through the Spirit is central to my character.

The love that I have for God is also central to my ability to love myself, my spouse, my children, my neighbor or anything that deserves to be loved. This love, when it is at the center of my soul, orders all other characteristics in my life. God must be central rather than merely first.

Putting God first is elevating all the other loves to be on the same list as God. This is like putting God in "first class" while everything else rides in "coach." However, you are the only flight attendant and the person screaming the loudest will get the most attention. Thus, you may say He is riding in first class but you must leave Him behind to handle all those who are riding in coach. Thus, our lives are conflicted with ambiguities of importance. We run to where we think we must while occasionally touching base with God to tell Him that He is really first.

We need to see God as the plane rather than the passenger. We ride on the plane with all of the other things and people that have some importance in our lives. We must stay on the plane or we can't act rightly toward all those other things.

He is at the very core of our souls. Everything else and how we treat those things must come from being with Him. We center our souls upon Him and we live according to His will toward everything else. This is not merely putting Him first! This is making Him completely central to all our character and relationships.

When someone says that we must put God first, I reply, "That's not enough." In fact, I believe that it is impossible to be consistent in trying to live our lives that way. I know that my day must begin with my devotion to God who is at the center of my soul or I will not be able to act in a godly manner to the world around me. I will sometimes treat my neighbor, wife, children and even myself without the love of God. I certainly will fail at being Jesus' disciple.

So I pray: Lord Jesus, be the center of my soul by which I will make all decisions today. I hold nothing back from You. I love You with all my heart, soul and mind. Please order my life as You will. Amen.

Disaster Looms But God Still Reigns

2011-11-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

The earth is warming and we will all drown! Bacteria are mutating to become invulnerable to antibiotics! The worlds' economies will crash and bring us to worldwide anachy! Nuclear weapons are being created by people crazy enough to use them! Does this sound like last night's news?

People gather around their computers and televisions to hear people tell them of the upcoming doomsday. Each of these disaster predictors tell what must be done to avert the calamady. Each asks for you to give so that their organization can win the battle. Each has a political candidate to support. Each one claims that any individual who doesn't support their organization will cause the disaster to continue in its present course. Each one claims to be a savior.

I certainly don't want to stick my head in the sand and pretend that there are no problems in the world. I don't want to ignore the problems of polution (in fact I ride a bicycle to work each day). I do accept some responsibility but I also don't think that the problems are will be solved by these organizations. Yes, we live in a sinful world but God has not lost control. He will ultimately redeem His creation.

Knowing God is sovereign doesn't mean that I can do the wrong things and still make good things happen. For example, the student who claims God's grace should not merely depend upon that grace when he takes a test. He should study and know God's grace in the studying. God gives the grace of a good mind, time to study, study materials, a teacher and peace that passes all understanding. This enables the student to be prepared and perform well when the test is given. This grace comes when things have some measure of control.

God's grace is also present when things aren't under control. For example, Christians who are caught in a tsunami experience God's grace and sovereignity in different ways. Some will survive the disaster and tell their testimonies to others of how God spared their lives. Some will suffer hardship and tell of God's sustaining power through His acts of grace. Still others may lose their earthly lives but be transported into His presence with their deaths. Each can tell a story of God's grace.

We can't make everything come out as we want. We should and can do what God wills for us. These actions may or may not avert a disaster. They will prove our faithfulness. Faithfulness proves our love for Him. We draw near to Him in this love and He draws near to us.

God may give us a message which will increase our faith about things to come. I have had such experiences when it seemed like disaster was immanent. God told me that He had another plan. He told me so strongly that I told others. I have had others say that I was a prophet because of these clear words from God but I don't believe so. I simply have "heard" Him tell me that He was still in control and the things which are apparent are not going to happen at all. He has other plans and He will bring them to light.

So, I ride my bicyle to work. It is a minor thing to fight polution but it is something. I listen to the doomsayers and ask what I should do. I do what God says because He is in control.

At the end of 1999 I had a friend who was storing food and money because of the millenial bug that was going to cripple our society when all the computers failed. I talked to a programmer at Compaq computers about the situation and he told me that this talk of computer failure was hoopla. I prayed and God clearly told me that I should do nothing about it. I told my friend about the response God had given me. He told me I should do something anyway. I had the option of believing or disregarding my message from God. I chose to believe but I didn't do so simply because of what I had heard from my friend at Compaq. I did so because God is ultimately in control.

This applies even in your situation. No matter how bad it looks, God will not allow anything to come into your life that you and He can't handle together. You can take that to the bank!

Revelation 19:6 (NIV) ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Isaiah 52:7 (NIV) ⁷ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Sure, You Prayed But Did You Inquire of the Lord?

2011-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

Joshua 9:3-15 (ESV) ³But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, ⁴they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, ⁵with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. ⁶And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” ⁷But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” ⁸They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” ⁹They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. ¹¹So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”’ ¹²Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. ¹³These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” ¹⁴So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
There are lots of times I don't ask for the Lord's will. For example, I didn't ask the Lord which shirt I should wear this morning. My wife would tell you that I should have, or, at least, asked her before I got dressed but I did it all by myself. Which shirt I wear today was not a concern for me so I didn't take it to the Lord. I don't think He was concerned either.

However, many times I need a "word" from God to tell me what I should do. The circumstances may be plain and the evidence on what I should do may be obvious but I still need to ask Him what I should do. These decisions have consequences. They need more than the cursory prayers said at the beginning and the end of church meetings. Those who want the Lord's will have to wait until the Lord answers them. There is a greater commitment here than merely saying a prayer. It takes patience.

Godly decisions cannot be determined by hearing the testimonies of others and examining the evidence alone. Surely, every con man knows that these "reasons" become the basis for running every con. Never forget, the "con" comes from the "con-fidence." Apparent evidence for great gain is at the heart of every con.

I had a member of a church I served come to me with great news. This person had won the grand prize in a national contest which would allow him to have more money than he had ever had. He wanted to give some of it to the church. However, the company awarding the prize told him that he must first pay the income tax on his winnings. All he needed to do was send them a check and the money would come. I told him that this was a scam. I told him that the IRS did not require anyone to pay taxes on money they had not yet earned. I called the police in this person's presence and had a policewoman tell me that this was a scam. He left my office feeling dejected and disappointed.

A few weeks later I learned that the guy sent the money anyway. The "prize awarding" company gave him phone numbers of people who could verify the need to send the tax money in advance. He had made these calls and was assured that the whole process was legitimate. Of course, he never received anything from his winnings.

Now, I believe he prayed about it. That is, I believe he said a prayer. I know he didn't wait for a word from the Lord because he was listening to the lies of the "company" and the evidence of the "testimonies" of supposed past winners.

So, how do you hear this word form God? You first make a commitment to do nothing until you hear from God. This humbles you because you simply can't do what you want when you want to do it. You place yourself as a servant of the Lord who does His will.

Then, listen for the Lord still speaks. Sometimes He uses godly people. Those who are walking with the Lord can bring you His word. Sometimes He uses your quiet time when your heart is fully listening to Him. He brings a scripture to you quiet time. He brings a word from the Spirit to you. He gives you an unexplained peace within your heart. Somehow you know that it is a word from God.

The greatest problems in my life were created when I said a prayer, listened to others and looked at the evidence but did not inquire of the Lord. Yes, I prayed but I didn't honestly ask; I told God what I wanted to hear. I accepted my own prayer as His word. I made sure that I heard what I wanted to hear.

Decisions cannot always be made by testimonies and evidence. They can't always be what others want you to do. Remember that Peter, out of his love for Jesus, rebuked Jesus for saying He would go to Jerusalem to die. This is the same man who, not so long before, had the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus had blessed him for his faith in Jesus as the Christ but he rebukes Peter in the greatest possible way when Peter tells Jesus that He shouldn't die in Jerusalem. He calls Peter Satan and a stumbling block. He tells Peter that his mind is not set on what God wants but on what Peter wants.

Thus, if you are facing a decision which will have consequences, you must inquire of the Lord beyond merely praying. You must be willing to listen.

Are you listening now?

Does Anxiety Run Your Life?

2011-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Are you one who worries all the time? Do you worry about your children, your health, your grades, your spouse, your finances, your house, etc.? Does it sometimes keep you up at night or give you a sick feeling in your stomach? Have these anxieties been growing over time?

Let's get something very straight: God does not desire anxiety for anyone. He stands as one who will remove those anxieties. Let's look at some scriptures which address the problem.

Anxiety is a love problem.

1 John 4:18 (ESV) ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Maybe you do not trust God's love. Maybe you have not dwelt in His love but the fact remains that God has loved you with an everlasting love. He will watch over you. He will not allow anything to come into your live that you can He can't handle together. He does so because He loves you. Your love toward Him reveals that your relationship is one of trust. It reveals that you know that He has loved you first and that there is nothing you can do to make Him love you more or less because His love is without merit.

Anxiety is a "not your problem" problem.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

For some reason people believe they can handle their problems better than God can handle them. Maybe there is a sense of pride which keeps them from giving their anxieties to God. They hold onto these problems like little children who claim, "I can do it myself!"

Is that you? Are you holding onto something that you really can't do? Are you trying to find a solution apart from casting your anxieties on Him? Are you afraid of what God may ask of you if you "cast" your anxieties? Would you rather live with the anxieties you know rather than having faith that God will do what is best without your knowledge? Are you afraid of giving up control of your anxieties by releasing them to God?

Turn them over to God and you will find yourself released from these problems.

Anxiety is a prayer problem.

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) ⁶do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Everything that you are fretting over must be prayed for. This is both with an attitude of prayer that knows God's love, wisdom, and power for anything that has come in your life and specific requests that God will act to relieve you of your anxieties. This is the best way of unburdening yourself of these anxieties. After all, did the worry make things better? Isn't it better to turn them over to God? He won't worry a moment about your anxieties. He already has a plan and will enact it.

A wonderful thing happens when you love on God and cast your anxieties on Him by taking them to Him in prayer. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guards your heart and mind. Then, you may not remember why you were so anxious anyway.

The Law Is for the Careless

2011-10-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I watched a pickup truck barrel through my neighborhood over fifty miles per hour. The speed limit is twenty-five. There were children making their way to their school bus stops in the dark but this careless fellow paid them no regard. I noted the time and resolved to call the police who could post an officer on my street. Speeds in excess of ten miles per hour are considered "reckless" in this area. I hope the resultant payment for his trangression will slow him down.

I have found that people do not slow down for school zones even though they can clearly see the speed blinking at them overhead. That is, they do not slow down unless they see a policeman ahead. Then, they are model drivers. Many people do not stop on red lights but run through them, do not stop before proceeding right on red and do not use their direction signals unless they see someone who can hold them accountable. These people know that there aren't enough police to hold them accountable most of the time so they become extremely careless in their driving.

I know why car insurance is so high. There are so many who will not comply with the law. They text while driving, turn right from left lanes (and vice-versa) and sneak down one-way streets while looking at the signs which say "wrong way." They are physically impared by alcohol or drugs, drive way past being merely sleepy and fully respond to the cries of their children without pulling over.

So, the law tries to prevent these unsafe and careless practices in driving. Yet, the law can't seem to keep up with the ways people can be careless.

And so it is with God's law too. The law is made to make the careless aware of their transgressions. Their sin ( our sin; my sin) is a failure to give God glory. It is simple but needs explanation because people are creating new ways of carelessly commiting this sin. Thus, we have the explanation of this standard of giving God glory throughout the Bible.

Think what the traffic law would be if there were no careless people: Drive in a safe and courteous manner. Sure there would have to be definition so that there could be order, such as: drive on the right side of the road and: the person on your right will have the right of way when arriving at a four way stop simultaneously. Speed limits would not be necessary because no one would drive recklessly. People wouldn't pass the signs which said, "this a lane was closed ahead" so that they could push their way in much further down the line. People would let others in when they were merging on the freeways.

So, more and more traffic laws are coming. They will be written because people choose to rebell against society's laws as much as they do against God's law.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 (ESV) ⁸Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

What Kind of God Were You Looking For?

2011-10-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Mankind is creating a god in an image that this palpable to mankind. This god appreciates being the mankind's servant. He (or she) always brings those who die into his (or her) presence. The only people who aren't in heaven are certain people who wouldn't have wanted to be there anyway. These are people who are either unknown or are historically bad. Thus, mankind believes that Hitler and a few serial killers are in hell but almost no one else is. All sins are absolved by this god because those who know the deceased have forgiven him. Their forgiveness is the basis for entry into heaven.

This god is one who obeys mankind's will. People only need to "speak" something into existence for this god to comply and make it so. Of course this means people must do some things correctly to get their god to perform as they wish. So, they give him a coin so they will receive ten back. They believe in "faith" so that things will become like they believe. They do not have to agree in what makes their god perform. It only matters that the faithful believe; what they believe is irrelevant.

How is this really different from what the Pharisees did in Jesus day? They had the concept of a Messiah who would cause everyone to return to the Law in the same manner as the Pharisees. He would, no doubt, recognize the righteousness of the Pharisees and commend them. He would lead the nation back to its former glory by recreating a religious nation in which God would defend and avenge. He would give them the power to dominate other nations.

The Pharisees dogmatic belief in the messiah they had created kept them from seeing the true Messiah when He stood right in front of them. They knew that both images could not be true so one would have to be killed. They chose to keep their messiah and crucify the One who conflicted with their belief.

Can you see why people are often bothered by the truth of Jesus? He does not allow them to create the god of their choice and accept Him at the same time. Either their image of god or the God of the Bible can exist. They are incompatible.

The easiest way to destroy the conflict is to attack those who believe in the God of the Bible. This is why the God of the Bible is not allowed in schools while other religions have very little resistance. This is why believers are ridiculed for their beliefs. They are said to be ignorant, delusional or charlatans. They are laughed at and taken to court.

So, what kind of God are you looking for? Are you creating this god or is He creating you? Do your beliefs come out of what you want to believe or are they anchored in the Bible? Are your beliefs created so that you can relate (get along) with others or are they changing your life because of your relationship with Him? Is this a god who obeys you or you obey Him? Does your god have any sense of justice or does He have a standard of righteousness and payment for sin?

I once tried to walk across a frozen lake because I believed the ice was thick enough to hold my weight. One year I did so without any problems at all. The next year I fell through the ice. It didn't matter what my belief was. It only mattered whether the ice was thick enough. I was never safe in walking across the frozen lake because I had no basis for my belief. I would have been no safer if I asked for the opinions of my friends. They didn't know any more than me. I would have to have some measurement that stood beyond my own opinions or those of others to have any safety in walking across the frozen lake.

The Bible is that measurement when it comes to who God is, what He expects, what is righteous or sinful and what the payment of violating His standard is. It is definitive in who God is and we do not create the God who created us. He is firmly established.

Sure, you can believe anything you want. I can choose to believe the ice is thick enough to hold my weight every year. My belief will not make it true and more than my belief in a god who will give me ten coins because I gave him one. Circumstances will dictate that I will sometimes have windfalls which I can choose to attach to my actions. In other words, I can say that my giving resulted in receiving ten more but that will not make it true. These circumstances have nothing to do with my belief.

What kind of god are you looking for?

Matthew 12:22-30 (ESV) 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

God Doesn't Want a "Portion"

2011-10-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

"Dear Lord, we give back to you today a small portion of what you have given to us . . . ." Here is the prayer that is so often said as the offering is taken at the church. I am sure that many who say this prayer are mimicing prayers they have heard others say. Many are more concerned that they sound good when they pray rather than really pray. They have no idea that they are teaching while they pray. They are telling the people that everything they have belongs to them and that they are doing God a favor by giving Him a small "portion." They, therefore can do whatever they wish with the 98% (surveys show that Christians attending church give about 2% of their income).

Herein lies the problem. People are always going to believe they are being good Christians as long as they give God anything when, in fact, God doesn't want 2% or 10%. He requires all of it to be a disciple. This means that all expenditures should be examined because Christians are being stewards of the possessions given to them rather than "sugar daddies" for God.

Thus, we have the problem with tithing. Most people cannot tithe because they see it as giving God what they can. This becomes what is left over after they have spent what they want on what has become necessities. Included in these necessities are: fast food, cable tv, new cars, a bigger house, big screen tv's and the like. So, the "necessities" come out first before God gets anything. And it is true that He is fortunate to get anything so it must be true that God should really thank these "givers" for their generosity.

Somehow theology has been skewed by our society. God gives salvation without merit or payment on our part. He calls people to this salvation to become His people. However, that doesn't mean that becoming His requires nothing in return. Salvation means giving up all that we were to become all that He has desired for us. It is intended to create disciples who are totally His in every aspect of their lives. It isn't a self-imposed hardship which means wearing hair shirts, starving ourselves (as opposed to fasting) or avoiding any pleasure. It is a life that puts God at the center of our lives so that all decisions and actions flow through Him.

However, this isn't the Christianity that most Christians think they have signed up for. They believe they should "accept" Christ as their Savior. (Which, by the way, can be found nowhere in Scripture.) They will go to heaven regardless of anything they do for the rest of their lives. They may never darken the door of the church or ever say another word about Christ and still be saved.

While I agree that none of these things save an individual. This is also not the picture of salvation as presented in the New Testament. The people had a profound change in their lives which resulted in the world being turned upside down because of the way they lived. Thousands of people became disciples because they heard the good news from people who were living differently. These people took others into their homes to teach them to follow their example. They sold what they had to give to others because they realized that it didn't belong to them in the first place. Even their time wasn't their own for they worshiped each day rather than when it was convenient and they nothing else to do.

Of course, Christianity will not the Christianity of the New Testament until there is a return of God's people to realizing that it all belongs to Him. He doesn't want a portion. All of it is His.

And so it is with us too. All of us are His, too.

Luke 14:33 (NIV) ³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Maybe We Have Made Disciples

2011-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Many churches and Christians in the United States are languishing over the state of those who call themselves Christians. Christians are getting divorced at roughly the same rate as non-believers. They break the law as often and even answer ethical questions similarly to non-believers. Most people don't know who or who isn't a believer. Surely, church attendance can't be the litmus test for proof. Shouldn't there be such a distinct difference that anyone would be able to distinguish between the Christian and non-believer without a verbal confirmation?

Maybe the problem isn't that Christians aren't acting like Christians but that they are acting like the Christian leaders that they know. Maybe they are looking at the rich pastors who live above the people and seek to live like them. Maybe they have recognized the lies that their pastors have told and make lying part of their own lifestyles. Maybe they know that there are Christian leaders who cheat on their taxes, have affairs with impunity and live licentiously behind the backs of their fellow believers.

I remember a pastor bragging to me about one of his members who had a bad reputation in the community. He told me that privately this man was very compassionate toward people. It didn't matter that he had swindled, lied and had underhanded dealings which may have been considered legal but were certainly unethical. It didn't matter that the people in the community thought of the man as evil. Honestly, I didn't care that the man may represent himself as one who is compassionate when he was meeting privately with his pastor. I saw him as dragging the Bride of Christ (the church) through the mud. What difference were his words in private when his character revealed a totally different person?

So, when I look at the condition of the Christians in the US (I don't know if the same condition exists in other countries for I hear of great revivals going on everywhere but the US.), I wonder if we are reaping what we have sown. Are these the disciples whom we have made for they have became like their teachers?

I am afraid our efforts to shun the righteousness of the Pharisees may have put us in an entirely different dilemma. We have wanted to avoid judging others. We have rejected any idea of setting ourselves as examples. Therefore, we have allowed our own state to become lax in pious living. We have not taught our people to live holy lives. We have not shown what holiness is. They have had no vision but our own lives to follow. Of course, the result is what we see today.

Christians must stand up and be counted as those who are striving to live holy lives if this trend is to be reversed. I must. All who are believers must.

I have been preaching a message for the last two Sundays that I want people to hear if we are to be the people who are full of the Holy Spirit.

1. Confess all your sins. Ask the Lord to reveal them to you and make sure that you ask for forgiveness for each one of them.

2. Make peace with others. The greatest hindrance to the infilling of the Holy Spirit is the presence of an unresolved conflict. Ask for forgiveness and forgive others if you want the Spirit to fill you.

3. Proclaim Jesus to someone ever day. Tell others that you are a believer. It will change the way you live.

4. Obey the Holy Spirit immediately. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Do what He says, when He says it.

I believe we would create a different character in our disciples if we would simply follow these points.

After all, we will make disciples regardless of how we live.

Matthew 10:24-25 (ESV)
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

Matthew 23:15 (ESV)
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross

2011-10-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

People have made this statement to represent the need for Christ. Everyone who comes to Christ does so humbly with confession, repentance and gratefulness for the Lord's sacrifice for his sins. No one is better than anyone else. No one gets to heaven easier or harder. No one is worthy of salvation. No one is loved more or less to come to Christ. Salavtion is the great equalizer.

We remain in this condition all the rest of our lives even if people tell us differently. In other words, the pastor is not greater than any member of the congregation. The mega-church pastor is not greater than any other pastor. The missionary is not greater than the Sunday School teacher. Greatness is found in becoming a slave to everyone, not in the calling or the gifts God has given.

My life changed in college when I gave my life to Christ. The Baptists seemed to say that there were ranks of Christians. Sunday School teachers were above the ordinary church member, Deacons were above Sunday School teachers. Pastors were above Deacons and Missionaries were above everyone else. Of course, there were ranks within each of these categories too. But is this how God ranks us?

No, our importance to the Kingdom of God is dependent upon our obedience to God's calling not the calling itself. We are all equal in importance when we are fully obedient to becoming and doing as God desires. No one, and I mean no one, is greater than any other. Thus we are called by no merit of our own, gifted by no merit of our own and talented by no merit of our own to be integral but not indispensible to God's will. We are to be the body of Christ which gives God glory together. Each one needs every other one. There should be no famous celebrities who have greater value than any other. We are simply those who comply to His divine providence.

Of course that means that I must also hold all other believers in high esteem. The only greatness I can ever achieve is being the servant of everyone.

In some ways this is a relief. I want my life to count. The measure used by the world is often the measure used by the church. The organization must expand exponentially, show a profit and build magnificent facilities if I follow the world's and often the Church's criteria for importance. But simple obedience is God's measure. It makes us all equal. It makes the ground level at the foot of the cross.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20 (NIV) ¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The God of Justice

2011-10-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon a man broke into our church, stole over $3,000 in cash, checks and stamps, a camera and our music minister's hat. We had to rekey the church since he took keys to the church. Fortunately, our church has video surveillance. Our video revealed him walking down the hall, lurking past people as he took keys and made his way into our offices. It was actually unnerving since we had women who were alone while he hid in the very next room. The guy actually had the nerve to smoke a cigarette while he stole from us!

We called the police who took pictures and finger prints. The next day I discovered him on the video surveillance and made note of when, where and what he had done. The following day I called to get a detective to come see the video. A policeman entered our building a short time after I called. I assumed he was here because of the break-in so I told him about it. However, he was here because of a fender bender in the parking lot. He had been called by one of the church staff. He was the policeman assigned to Princess Anne High. He wanted to see the video so I showed it to him. It is logical to assume that anyone who will break in and steal from a church will do the same to the school next door.

This morning I rode my bicycle to church as I normally do. The robbery was on my mind as I was thinking how we could be more secure. I was especially concerned about the safety of our own people being in corners of the building where they could be attacked. I saw a policeman (the same one who and the security officer for Princess Anne High School in the church driveway monitoring the school as I rode by.

Then, there, as I rode around to the other side of the building, was our robber trying the doors to get into the building! There was no doubt to his identity since I had watched the video of him robbing us. I asked, "Can I help you?"

He said, "I'm supposed to meet someone about handbells."

I quickly replied, "Oh, I have a key to the other side of the church. I'll go in and walk through and let you in." (Yes, I know I lied. I have already asked the Lord to forgive me.)

I, then, rode around the church, told the policeman and security officer that the robber was on the other side of the building. The policeman took his car while the security officer rode in his golf cart, each taking a different route around the building. As I made my way around I saw the police officer tell the man to put his hands behind his back. He complied. The officer had no doubt who to arrest since he had watched the video with me the day before.

The guy asked, "What am I being arrested for?

"For robbing the church Sunday afternoon," replied the officer.

"I didn't do nothing to the church"

This made me angry and I yelled, "Oh, yes you did! I have you on video!" (Something within me wanted to demand justice.) This, ended the conversation.

Today, I will sign whatever it takes to have this guy prosecuted. I know we use the word "alleged" when we speak of suspects but I have a hard time using this word. I saw him on the video. I know he did it. There is no reasonable doubt. I believe in justice.

God believes in justice too. He did not allow my sins to go unpaid. He paid for them with the blood of Jesus. I believe in grace. I believe in forgiveness. I believe in justice. They are not incompatible. There are consequences for our sins. Sometimes they are passed on to our children because they do the same things that we do. Sometimes they affect us in different parts of our lives which do not seem to be connected with our sins. The only way of escape is to confess and ask for forgiveness based on the blood of Jesus. And, yes, sometimes we have to make a payment to our society. Satisfying God does not mean that the consequences of our sins disappear.

Honestly, I hope the guy goes to prison so that he won't be able to rob anyone for a long time. I hope that he comes to Christ. I hope that he is cured of any addictions.

Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV) ⁶And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Citizen of Heaven

2011-10-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV) ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

In a few weeks I will be traveling to Italy, Greece and Turkey. I am taking a group of people to visit the sites of Paul's second and third missionary journeys. It will be a wonderful time to focus on the Lord's work in anyone who is fully committed to Christ.

Of course, I will obey the laws of those countries while I am there but I will not become one of their citizens. My earthly home is in the United States. My citizenship here obligates me to taxes and obedience to the laws of the country. It gives me privileges as a citizen in my protection overseas and here at home. Freedom of speech, freedom of faith and protected civil rights are granted to each citizen of the United States. These rights are not granted by every country, even those who call themselves democratic and free. Many people died so that the citizens could have these rights. I will be grateful as long as I am alive on this earth.

However, I have a greater citizenship than that of the United States. I am a citizen of heaven. I have rights that are granted here as well. I am forgiven and will receive an eternal home and a glorified body because of this citizenship. Only one Person died so that I might have this citizenship. I don't really know how grateful I will be until I have fully realized my home in heaven.

Paul was a Roman citizen. There was no other country which one could have been more proud to be a citizen of at the time. He did not renounce this citizenship but also realized that it was not his eternal home. He called his present body lowly as he compared it to his heavenly body. It would grant the rights of never decaying, never desiring sin, never getting sick and never being injured.

Paul is obviosly looking forward to that transformation. He has said that he had not attained the resurrection yet but that he was mature. He told people to follow his lead and do what he was and had done. He had ministered long and hard and now looked forward to the culmination of all his hard work. He had not earned his citizenship in heaven but he had prepared himself for living there.

Should that be the desire of all believers? Yes, but only because they have been faithful to the work which the Lord has given them. How can anyone look forward to arriving when he knows that he has been disobedient, lazy or even belligerant toward what God has told him to do?

When I was sixteen years of age I wrecked my parents car. It was my fault; no one made me do it. I knew my parents would forgive me but I still had to go home and tell them that I wrecked the car. I felt the pain of the guilt even though the forgiveness was instantly granted. I couldn't unwreck the car.

I know that I could not look forward to heaven if my character did not reflect one who had prepared himself for citizenship. I also know that I am a sinner required by God to confess and make things right even though I am forgiven. I relate that to telling my parents I wrecked the car. Forgiveness was not in question but I still had to confess. I know that a life that looks forward to heaven must be a faithful life which makes each day a step closer to arriving home.

My earthly life has more behind it that in front of it. There won't be that many years before my home in heaven will come into view. It is good to know that I will have a place.

This lowly body is getting more aches and pains than ever before. I cannot run like I once did. I get up more slowly than when I was younger. But none of this matters because it is not my permanent body anyway, nor is this my permanent home. It is only temporary.

Years ago I had a believer in my church who had a terminal disease. I knew that God would heal him but I did not know if He would heal him on this earth. I wrote him to say that I was praying for him and fully confident that God would heal him either here (and that temporarily) or in heaven (permanently) I could say this because I knew his home was in heaven.

I am going to heaven and preparing for the trip even now. It is my home. I sure would like a lot of people to go with me.

The Two in the Middle

2011-10-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV) ⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

This morning my quiet time was in Matthew 13 where Jesus gives the parable of the sower (though I would call it the parable of the dirt) and interprets it for His disciples. I have always known that the first person who has the seed sown "in his heart" was not a believer because he could not understand it. I have similarly always known that the one who bears fruit is a believer because he the gospel has grown within him to bear this fruit. I have struggled with those in the middle two categories.

Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV) ¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²²The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

These are people who received the gospel. One does so with joy but quickly leaves the gospel. The other is choked by worries of the world. Neither of these produce any fruit. The evidence is that they are not truly believers because the "seed" of the gospel produces nothing. I have always wanted to say these people were believers and possess eternal life for I know so many people who fall in these categories.

This morning I rode my bicyle to work as I nearly always do. It gives me a lot of time to think as I make my way to work. (It also makes me work on my faith since not all auto drivers are courteous to cyclists.) I rode near a school where I had baptized one of the teachers. She gave every indication of faith. She eagerly grasped ahold of the gospel. I baptized her and she continued to come to church for some time. Now, I don't know what has happened to her. I haven't seen her in church for some time. I wonder if she is one of these two in the middle of the parable for she certainly received the gospel with joy. She may have had the worries of the world make her fruitless.

The Hebrews passage came to light as I thought about this as I rode along. Are the two in the middle those who have tasted the goodness of the word, recognized their sinfulness and though they knew the need for forgiveness through Jesus and wanted to accept Him as Savior stopped short of asking Him to be Lord? Did they taste but never swallow?

If this is the case, there is no hope for those who have come this close but did not make that commitment. It means that there are thousands of people who remain condemned even though they have made a public profession of faith in Christ and have been baptized. They would point back to these events as proof of their faith if asked but their lack of fruit would be a greater evidence that they really never knew the Lord.

Hebrews said that it is impossible to bring them to repentance again since they would have to crucify Christ again. Of course, that just can't happen.

My own life was not one of continuous faith though. I acted like a non-Christian for several months yet I was always "pulled" by the Holy Spirit as I ran from Him. I always knew to whom I belonged. Maybe that's why, all alone in my apartment one night, the Holy Spirit visited me and reminded me of the joy I had when I walked with my Lord. Maybe that's why I got on my knees and asked for forgiveness and asked Him to keep me from coming back to that place (my rebellious life) again.

I am far from perfect but He works within me. I bear fruit because the "seed" planted within me has grown. I am confident that I am not one of the two in the middle. I am also saddened by those who may be.

I suppose the only way to know you are not one of these two is to return to Christ if you have allowed yourself to slide away from His lordship. If you are one of the two, this will be impossible.

So, are you one of the two in the middle?

Being Changed by Christ Daily

2011-10-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28-29 (NIV) ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

I wasn't saved so that I would stay in my same condition until I died and went to heaven. I was saved so that I would be conformed to the image of Jesus. Even this was not simply so that God could have a bunch of Jesus clones running around. Becoming like Jesus is the goal of my life. There is an image of what I am to become that God has seen before the beginning of time which He is knitting together through all the things that happen to me.

Many times I hear people say that they can't understand why God would allow bad events to happen to those whom He has called His own. Why doesn't He protect His children from everything evil? The same question my be phrased, "Why does God allow for free will?" Sin entered the world and corrupted creation. Fallen creation is full of things that will go wrong and cause bad things to happen to God's people. God's character is such that He allows this free will of creation. He did so in the Garden of Eden and He will do so in our own gardens. But God's plan goes beyond allowing evil to totally destroy the creation He made as good. God comes before and after these bad things to make something good. He uses all things to bring His children to become like His Son.

Lately, I have been looking at the character which believers should possess. I find that this character is the same as Christ. We are to love like He loves (John 13:34-35), forgive as He forgives (Luke 17:3-4), and give ourselves as He gave Himself (Philippians 2:1-11). Our lives would be nothing but frustration and defeat if it were not for His actions to conform us. Our willingness to be changed by Him and obey in everything He leads us into will bring about our conformation. We are pressed into His mold and we become like Him.

I heard many preachers cry out, "Let go and let God!" I have found that this is an incomplete story for I find my effort is not in simply releasing what I have but also fixing my eyes on Him. The effort is greater when all hell is breaking loose around me. I still come closer to Him when the cries of another crisis call me to focus on it.

Each of the events in every day of the believer are designed to bring the believer closer to the image of Christ if the believer will simply continue to call on Jesus as Lord. The continued obedience will enhance the believer's love for Jesus. The resolve will bring the believer into greater faith as he sees His Lord take those things which were bad and good and use them for his good. He will see the futility of living like the world and the glory in living for his Lord.

Today, it seems as if the world will continue toward evil. The news of today will contain bad and good things but the general atmosphere will have very little to do with God and His kingdom on earth. But even as hell seems to prevail, God is bringing His children into the likeness of His Son.

Today it seems as if the world will never acknowledge Jesus as Lord but there will come a day when all creation will.

"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11)

Even creation itself will be restored to what God originally created.

It is here that I am today, being changed daily by who He is, what He commands and the things He allows into my life. It is being changed daily though hell reigns around me, though satan roars like a lion to make me cower, though I am called to leave my Lord to "save" myself.

Oh, I can't say that I have arrived nor that I am almost there. This is not my call. I am not a good judge to know how far I have traveled. I just know I am being changed for God's glory. Praise be to Him who is not yet finished with me!

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus..

What Gives Us the Power to Forgive?

2011-10-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) ¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

It is very clear that God expects us to forgive one another. Yet, even as Christians, we often have trouble forgiving others for certain offenses. It is easy to say and even agree that we should forgive but the actual forgiveness is often lacking even when we want to forgive. So, beyond agreeing that we should forgive, what should we do to forgive those especially eggregious offenses?

Forgiveness is based upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is through His sacrifice that we understand that all offenses have been forgiven.

Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) ²²In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

It is not our blood which accounts for the sin of others. In fact, it would do no good for us to spill blood for our blood would not be innocent. It would not be a perfect sacrifice for the sins of others. It is on the basis of Jesus' spilt blood that forgiveness is given.

God has given the forgiveness we need to us. The connections is unmistakable. The forgiveness we are given is pure grace. The grace of God comes to reside within us. We are in Christ as much as He is in us. We have been given the power of forgiveness through the forgiveness we have received through Him.

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
His Spirit dwells is us. Thus, we have the desire and strength to forgive on the basis of the blood of Jesus.

Romans 8:9 (NIV) ⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
His Spirit dwells in us so that we also do not depend upon our own ability to forgive. We forgive on the basis of the power of Christ who dwells in us. He has already paid for the sins of others and has fully forgiven them. Thus, His forgiveness flows through us to forgive others.

These statements concern our abilty to forgive. They do not encompass the individual's need for forgiveness. He will still have to confess and be cleansed from all unrighteousness. We have no ability to do that for the sinner. Our responsibility is to forgive by the power of Christ who reigns in us while accepting the spilt blood of Jesus as the basis for that forgiveness.

Christians have tried to forgive by their own strength alone but some sins have been too difficult for us. The Christian asks for God to give him the strength and may feel that he has forgiven only to have the unforgiveness raise its head again and again. It is here that we must realize that we do not have the strength to do this on our own. We cannot even receive the strength so that we can do it on our own. We must accept His strength and His forgiveness or we will continue to be defeated.

Next month I am going to Rome. Should I ask God to give me the strength to swim there or should I board a vehicle that will take me there? Of course, I can become a stronger swimmer but that distance is not one that I will ever be able to accomplish. I must ride on a plane that will take me to Rome. Such it is with the forgiveness of some sins against me. I can ask to become stronger but I will never be able to forgive on my own. I need the "vehicle" of God's grace to carry me to forgiveness.

While I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, there are times when I must rely upon Him who is within me to do what I cannot do. In the end, is it me that is forgiving? Yes, but not by my own ability nor even my enhanced ability to do so. I forgive because Jesus died on a cross for me and the person I am forgiving. I accept His forgiveness and Him living through me to forgive.

1 John 4:9 (NIV) ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
Amazingly, we not only forgive but love those who have sinned against us. See, the majesty of the power of His grace and love! We have no choice but to forgive for we live through Him.

Cleansed by the Word

2011-10-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

John 15:3 (ESV)
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV)
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

I find myself drawn closer to the Lord as I listen to His word and allow it to change me. It loosens the filth of my sin and takes it away. The act is very spiritual though not like those who claim to be spiritual but not religious. The word of God cannot be separated from Him. Listening to Him requires the Holy Spirit. The Spirit insists that the relationship with Him must be pure of heart. I hear better as I am cleansed. The word cleanses me. I see the world with greater clarity because of this relationship. Things become ordered.

Mary sat at the feet of Jesus rather than help her sister, Martha, as she was preparing food. Many of the "Marthas" of the world have never understood that passage when Jesus said that Mary had done what was right in sitting at His feet. They cannot see how that is right because they have never understood the importance of God's word to cleanse and bring us to Him. No one can stand outside of God's word and understand why it was more important to listen than to work. There will be plenty of work to do when the listening is finished.

Each player on the football field listens to the play that is called. Each one has an assignment for that particular play. Each one must know what the play is before he can perform the proper function. Hearing the play called purifies each player for it eliminates the actions of other plays and clarifies the exact action that needs to follow.

Hearing the word of God focuses the person on what he needs to know. It reveals things that need to happen. It loosens the grip of all other possible actions and brings the person to clear thinking of what must be done. It teaches, corrects, admonishes and trains the person to do exactly as God wills.

Jesus cleansed His disciples and cleanses His Church with the word of God. He speaks it still through the Holy Spirit. Yet, it did not cleanse one of His disciples. The action of the Holy Spirit can be resisted or quenched. He can be grieved by people. The presence of His word is not the same as hearing it for faith comes by hearing.

This should tell us a couple of things about our quiet times each day. First, we must know the importance of listening to His word. It should take precedence over the other acts of our day. Second, we should make sure that we are truly listening rather than going through the motions of simply reading the Bible. Then we will see the cleansing effect it has upon us.

What Do You Do When You Are REALLY in Trouble?

2011-10-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

Most of our troubles are minor. Heavy traffic on the way to work is more of an inconvenience than a real problem. Losing our credit cards brings more anxiety than real trouble. Even a spat with our spouses is generally forgotten in a couple of days. Let's face it, these are not real troubles but real troubles do exist.

Real trouble comes when your boss says that the company is cutting back on employees and you have only two weeks of severence pay. Real trouble comes when your doctor says that you have cancer. Real trouble comes when your child runs away and you can't find her. These are real troubles because you don't know where to turn nor what to do. You feel surrounded by the trouble and it begins to smother you.

King Jehoshaphat was surrounded by three groups of people. The Meunites, Ammonites and Moabites outnumbered his army in such numbers that there was no hope in victory. His surrender would probably result in his execution. He would have been humiliated, tortured, crippled and killed. His people would be abused and enslaved. They had only one hope.

Jehoshaphat set his heart to seek the Lord and declared a fast for the whole land. The people came from all around to Jerusalem to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat prayed. He told of who God is and what God could do. He asked the Lord to so something about the problem. But none of this is remarkable. We all do the same thing when we are in real trouble. Just look at how we ran to church after 911. No, prayer is not the total answer.

Most people focus on their trouble when they have real problems. They believe that focusing on the trouble will reveal a solution. I suppose that is true if you have some real power to overcome the problem. This trouble that Jehoshaphat had couldn't be solved by his own strength. He, therefore, didn't focus on his trouble. He focused on the Lord!

Now, this shouldn't be such a big surprise to us. Afterall, didn't Jesus say that we should seek first God's kingdom and righteousness to have all that we need given to us?

So, we seek the Lord, focus on Him, and our troubles will be taken care of. That may mean that our lives are taken or our homes or jobs are taken. It may mean that our children run off and stay away for a long time but the trouble itself is placed into the hands of the only One who can really handle the trouble.

It takes a lot of maturity to honestly say, "Lord, I don't know what to do but my eyes are on you."

2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV) ¹²O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

The Insidious Deception of Sin

2011-10-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

My wife had surgery this past week and I have been taking care of her at home. It has given me a break from my routine. The break seems to have opened my eyes.

This morning, on my bike ride to work, I noticed all the trash that has been strewn along the road. There were broken beer bottles, half eaten fast food complete with bags, water bottles and an array of things which must have been tossed out as people made their private trash into public trash. That stretch of road was cleaned not so long ago. It didn't take long before it reverted to its deplorable condition.

Littering is a crime and carries a stiff penalty in Virginia Beach. It takes public tax dollars to clean up this trash. So, why would people blatantly throw out their trash? The answer is closer to home than you would think.

I have noticed that people disobey the rules as if it is something that must be done. They travel ten miles an hour over the speed limit when it wouldn't save them more than a minute to their destination. They leave their shpping carts in the middle of the parking lot when they need the excercise of taking that cart to the collection spot. They park in no parking zones just to avoid a couple of steps to the entrance of a store. It seems that mankind is wired to break the rules.

It is as if our DNA was changed after Adam broke the first rule. He ate the fruit and we have been slipping on the banana peels ever since. Sin is so deceptive that it makes us believe that we are actually free when we commit sin. The truth is that we are under its power when we commit it. It not only controls our future, "The wages of sin is death," but ensures that we have no power to overcome its effects. It dooms us while we are proclaiming our freedom to commit it.

Sin is like a drug that makes us feel more alive but is in reality killing us. We think of it as freedom but it is slavery. The only real freedom is the freedom of being released from its affects.

Those who are throwing out their trash, speeding or leaving their shopping carts think that they will not be caught and they are, in small ways, exerting their "freedom" to break these rules. They do not realize that these infractions will not satisfy them soon. They will increasingly want to break greater rules. The path is one of unfaithfulness and unfaithfulness to their fellow human beings in a general way will lead to an unfaithfulness in a specific way. It brings lies, thievery and adultery at its apex.

In the end the person wonders how he ever allowed himself to become this person who would do such things. Of course, sin will give him an excuse. It was because he never had anything nice or his parents didn't treat him right or his wife never really met his needs. Sin can be continued once the guilt is absolved. Guilt which has been covered makes the sinner less likely to feel future guilt.

So, it is necessary to realize sins hold on you and pray that the Lord Jesus will be your strength to defeat it. You must flee from temptation, own up to those things you have done wrong and repent of them by placing them in the hands of Jesus.

The only real freedom is walking with Jesus. Sin is just a deception that makes you believe you are free.

Romans 6:17-18 (ESV) ¹⁷But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Redefining Success for the Church and the Pastor

2011-10-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

I have read that 85% of the churches in America are shrinking or are showing no growth. 98% of those who are growing are doing so by taking members from dying churches. This means that only .3% of the churches are growing because they are reaching the unchurched. Are these the only ones who are being successful?

Let's ask the questions that need to be asked. Should we count those churches who are growing at the expense of other churches as successful? Their pastors are often reaching people who were attending dying churches. They are often baptizing those whose traditions didn't include immersion as a means of baptism. Their baptism numbers are up and their churches are growing. Is that success?

If not, are we saying that only .3% of churches and pastors are truly successful in seeing the majority of their church growth through new believers? That seems like a slim number and it also declares that nearly all churches are disobedient to their Lord. Is this really the case?

Jesus had many people leave Him because of His hard words. They didn't like His ideas of full commitment. There was a small handful of His believers who hung around during His trial and execution. Even His most devoted followers doubted who He was before the resurrection. Was Jesus a failure as a human being and only successful as God?

No, success cannot be determined by numbers. It must be determined by faithfulness. Obedience is the heart of success as a believer. Jesus never defined it otherwise nor can we find any other definition no matter how hard we try to make the American church into the corporate model. A business defines success by its profits. A church must define its success by her listening to her Lord and obeying.

Does that mean that God is not concerned about church growth? No, absolutely not. His concern is in reaching people for eternity but there are those who will never give their hearts to Him. This was seen when Jesus physically walked this earth and has never changed. Why would it be easier to hear the stories of Jesus and believe when you could see Jesus perform miracles as a basis for belief? His miracles were dismissed as much in the first century as they are today. In other words, God sent Jesus to save the world but there are always those who will never believe. Our obedience is found in sharing the gospel; not in the saving of souls. That is His work. We are merely the message carriers; we did not write the message.

This is why it is so important for believers and their pastors to arise each day and spend time with their Lord for instructions for the day. Each is taught, inspired, corrected and trained through God's words. Each is given the task of obedience.

Too often we all look at those who seem to have more success than us and ask why we can't have what that other person has. We ask, "Lord, why don't you put my name in lights, have me do conferences for others and be well know and revered among others because of what I have done?" Most pastors would like to be those who have written books because they have seen success in church growth. They would like to be seen as the sage who can give all instruction to others and who can "spiritually" look down on others who have noe had their success. We simply can't be content with obedience, we want fame and fortune!

The true test of faithfulness is continuing to be content in obedience even if the Lord should have you minister in a church which never sees growth. It may be that this pastor has one great task to win and disciple an individual who will raise his family to be strong believers. It may be that they will pass this faith down for generations but never gain notoriety for the pastor or this family.

The world has so influenced the Church that most pastors can't be content with this. They beat themselves for not having those churches which are mentioned on the nightly news. They consider themselves failures.

I am not saying that we should give up trying to see our churches grow. I am not saying that we shouldn't continue to share the gospel whenever and however we get the opportunity. But I am also saying that our obedience may not make us superstars. It will just make us successful to our Lord.

And that should be enough.

(Read the scripture below carefully. It defines success as not looking at what others have or have done. Success is following Jesus.)

John 21:20-22 (ESV)
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

The Solid Rock

2011-10-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 (ESV)
14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

I have been leading a study through the Bible verse by verse. We are in 2 Chronicles and our plan is to finish either in 2024 or 2025.

We find in our study an interesting pattern that reveals that mankind has never changed. No one from Adam to present man is really that different. The same desires, same sins and same virtues remain constant. God Himself remains the same so that we can rely on His word and His actions.

God began a process of creation to bring mankind into fellowship with Himself. He gave His creation a hope in a Messiah. He fulfilled that hope in the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. This hope remains for all those who trust in Jesus as Savior. Nothing has changed this from the beginning of time until present day.

Western cultures are leaving this hope but all other cultures of the world are embracing it. Over 86,000 people a day are giving their lives to Jesus in the world. Only a small percentage of these people live in Europe or the US. God's word is being proclaimed as mightily as it was in the first century with results that exceed that of the first century. The western cultures are ignoring His word just as those who felt "enlightened" did in the first century. Nothing has really changed.

Prayer was and is the most powerful tool of the believer. It reveals the faith of God's followers to seek what God seeks and do what God wills. It is heard by God the same as it has always been heard. He still seeks to strongly support those whose hearts are completely His.

The message of Christ has never changed. It is preached, broadcast, blogged, emailed, tweeted, face booked, published and podcast and while the methods are varied, this message remains. It has the same power to change the soul as it always did. It moves people into a new eternity and that eternity has never changed.

God has changed the chaos of the universe into a cosmos. That cosmos is not changing no matter how different the landscape of morality seems to change. Man cannot change morality no more than he can change the color red or black to be other colors. He can declare that they look different but he cannot change the way they look. Their "color" is engraved in their definition. God's morality is engraved in His holiness. Whether or not mankind approves or disapproves of this morality is irrelevant. God's holiness is the standard which cannot be changed by man. Sin will always be sin because the standard of right is set upon God's holiness rather than man's culture. Thus, nothing changes in right or wrong.

The very nature of an immutable God secures a constant universe. His attributes will never change. He will always be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, loving, holy, righteous and all that has ever been attributed to Him. He has not lost any measure of who He is. He is the Lord who sits on the throne who holds the whole world and every part of it in His hands. Nothing ever slips through His fingers.

So, I have a salvation which does not depend upon how hard I hold on but on how God holds onto me. I have a hope that depends on the God who has never lied nor will ever lie. I have a Savior who continues to work on me to make me into His image. I have a confidence that my God who has never changed will not ever change and I can always know this no matter what my circumstances.

This is the solid rock on which I stand. It is the immovable God who brings His creation to Himself. He is that Solid Rock. And with this I sing:

On Christ, the Solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Thank God for Mondays!

2011-10-02T05:02:00.000-07:00

The work week for most people in western cultures begins on Monday. Many people dread the day because it represents doing something that they must do rather than what they would like to do. Monday begins a five day journey which must be completed to get to the weekend. The weekend represents freedom and joy.

That's not the way it should be. Monday is a day which God has given to us to minister in our work. It involves knowing what He wants us to do and doing it. It will bring an immense joy when it is done within this context. On the other hand, it is a drudgery when it is merely a means of making money that we can spend on the weekend.

The work that God has given to us is a gift. It does not matter where we work because there is God's ministry within in that job. God calls us to be His witnesses in construction, accounting, teaching, healing and even preaching. There is no profession outside of God's calling to do His work.

Those who are living for the weekend maybe outside of God's will in what they are doing. They just might have taken the easy task of making money rather than using their God given talents to work at a job within those talents. Therefore, they will not find the fullness of God's ministry in their work. They are trying to minister to people whom they have not been called.

Most people, however, are where they should be in their professions. They just don't know that their profession is supposed to be a ministry to accomplish God's will. These people may see their employment as a means of earning a living so that they can do God's will. They have failed to see that they don't have to wait to get to church to do ministry. They can do their most significant ministry in the employment that they already have.

Joy invades the individual who sees God's will being accomplished as they do their work. It makes work an opportunity to see God's glory. It brings pleasure in that work which could have been mundane without this purpose being seen. It gets the person up to look forward to the day of employment for it is here that he finds the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (ESV)
12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

You Can't Buy a Work of the Holy Spirit

2011-09-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

Acts 8:18-24 (ESV)
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

I have gone to many conferences led by church leaders who speak of the successes in their own churches. I love to hear these testimonies of new churches who have miraculously grown and old churches whose ministry has been revived. There are, however, a couple of things that bother me.

Sometimes the credit isn't given to the Holy Spirit. The leaders of some churches tell what happened and never mention prayer, getting a word from God or being empowered to preach God's Word. They, instead, speak of marketing, new methods and surveys.

If this is a work of men and women, why am I coming to hear what "God has done?" If this is a work of the Spirit, I can't simply buy the work, nor should I expect that doing the same thing in my own church without the Spirit will work. The Holy Spirit is like the wind which comes and goes at will. He does not give in to formulas, repeated methods or even the charisma of the leaders.

Simon the sorcerer didn't understand this either. He saw the Holy Spirit come upon those who had hands laid upon them. He wanted this power for himself. He sought to buy it so that he could repeat it and be seen as great. Doesn't this sound like a bunch of preachers meeting to buy the books and training manuals of those who had grown huge churches? These preachers are looking to repeat these great works.

I know of a preacher who is desperately wanting to be considered among those who have grown their churches to national prominence. He says things that come from the books of those who have huge churches. He speaks of "his vision" as if he is Moses. He preaches the same sermons as the pastors of these huge churches. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is writing an autobiography so that others will recognize his greatness.

Don't get me wrong. I think we should go to conferences for inspiration and conviction. I am often convicted as one of the conference leaders tells of his own personal conviction which led to church growth. I realize I have the same problem and ask God to remove it. I, also, am inspired that God uses people who are no more called than I am to do such mighty works.

But I also can't expect to copy what these conference leaders have done and get the same results. I am not like any of the conference leaders, I am not ministering to the same people as they and I am not located in the same place with the same set of circumstances. Why should I expect that a different person (me) with a different people (my congregation as opposed to the conference leaders' ) who are in a different place (a different set of circumstances )will have the same results when doing the same things? I might as well be trying to buy the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told His followers to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. He told them that they would receive the power to be His witnesses when that happened. They waited for the Holy Spirit and turned the world upside down. We, on the other hand, seem to hurry to get things done. We don't wait for the Holy Spirit but look at what is happening in another place and seek to repeat it.

I have read that 85% of churches are dying. I believe that many dying churches have pastors who desperately want to see their churches grow. Many of them will rush to new conferences hoping to find a new method which will revive their churches. I can say this confidently because I was one of these pastors and spoke to many of them at these conferences.

The humbling fact is that we all need the Spirit to work within our churches but cannot make Him do so. We can wait and pray and believe that He will come but we can't buy His work. He doesn't respond well to that proposal. He comes to those who diligently seek Him.

Whatever He does won't be repeatable by man.

God's Amazing Grace

2011-09-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV) 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

I should go to hell because I earned the trip. I know its true but I forget. I think of myself as a pretty good guy; a whole lot better than many others. I haven't killed anybody; at least physically. I am fairly nice to most people. I pay my taxes, obey most of the traffic laws and get along with my neighbors. And sometimes, when I am really full of myself, I think God is really lucky to have me.

That is certainly not looking at myself as I really am. I am like the person who has a clear conscience simply because he has a terrible memory.

I was dead in my sins. I could not respond to God's Spirit. I was bound for hell. I had no hope. I had no ability to save myself and, God in His surpassing mercy came to me. His grace was lavished upon me.

Sometimes people tell me that they aren't coming back to church because someone at church hurt them. That is like saying, "I'm going to beat myself until you treat me better." The church is part of God's grace. It exists because of God's love toward us. It is a privilege to attend, to serve, to worship, to pray and to give. When will people realize that they are not doing God a favor by showing up at church? When will they realize that they should look at church as a privilege?

Years ago I was doing a wedding in the backyard of one of the mansions in Nashville. The guests had gotten into the refreshments before the ceremony began. They were drinking beer while sitting in the white wooden folding chairs and I got mad. I didn't want people drinking at what I considered a worship service. I immediately started griping at God. I even imagined turning over the beverage tables in my self righteousness.

I will never forget what God said to me when I finally took a breath from my griping. He said, "These are the people I have sent you to!" That certainly shut me up!

You see, the problem was that I had forgotten that God saved me while I was still in my sins. I forgot that I wasn't, and still am not, perfect. I forgot how God had invited someone who should be glad that he was getting a seat at the table himself. I forgot how fortunate I am to be called out of my sins and to be called to be a part of reaching out with the love of God to others. Frankly, I forgot that people are supposed to see a "little Christ" in me.

So, I am overwhelmed by His grace to me. I could still be in my sins. I could still be hopeless. I could be on my own in my journey to eternity. But His love has given me Jesus.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

Misunderstanding a Secure Salvation

2011-09-28T04:54:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3:12-16 (ESV) ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Many people are afraid of a gospel that can be grasped but not released. It is the gospel which saves us but never lets us go. It is the gospel that assures our salvation even though we fail to live sinless lives. However, it is a misunderstanding of this gospel that permits licentious behavior with impunity. This misunderstanding gives so-called Christians a justification for doing nothing, giving nothing and being nothing for God.

Paul had a clear goal in mind. He was seeking Christ's image to be impressed upon himself. He was continually leaving what he was behind so that he could press forward to what he was to become. He was seeking to complete his calling. He knew that the moment of passing from this earth would be the completion of whom he was to become. It wasn't that he doubted his salvation; he was counting on it!

Our salvation will mature us so that we are never complacent about our present condition. A true salvation does not allow for a secure apathy. It is humbling because it reveals the difference between what we are and what we are to come. It continues to bring us to a new glory of change as we become more like Christ. We praise God for the difference He continues to make in our lives. We know we are not finished until He is finished with us on this earth.

Therefore, we press forward, not because we are hastening the day of our death, but because we are bringing to light His glory through us. We press forward in ever increasing praise as we see what He is doing to complete us. We press forward because we see Him more clearly as we come closer to Him.

I sometimes do funerals for people who have the thinnest of salvation stories. The loved ones will note that the deceased was a member of a church when younger. They will siay that he had no use for organized religion as if that was a justification of living his life apart from a Christian testimony and other Christians. I think, "Really? Do you think that you can ignore the Christ's Bride, the Church, and still get invited to the wedding reception?"

Why do we not realize that the completion of the wedding vow is "until death do us part." The successful completion of a marriage is met at the grave. Why do we not realize that the fulfillment of our vow of salvation is fully realized when our hearts beat for the last beat? What would a marriage be if the bride and groom separated right after the ceremony and, though they never saw each other again, cavorted with others for the rest of their lives? Can we really call it salvation if our Christian lives reflect this type of living?

The Christian knows that his salvation is secure because His Lord holds onto him. But he also knows that his salvation is doing a work within. It gets him up and motivates him to become more like his Lord. It is this that makes the Christian exlaim:

Praise God, that He is not through with me!

Praise God, that He is still working on me!

Praise God that He is coming closer!

Praise God for I will be ready for the end of this life!

I press on toward the goal . . . .

Speak God's Commands

2011-09-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV) ⁶And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

It is very easy to have a limited interpretion of God's word. In fact, when you think of it, I suppose every interpretation is limited. I wonder if we could handle the full meaning of any verse at one time. It speaks to us again and again, never contradicting itself, but continually fulfilling its meaning as we grow in our relationship with our Lord.

Thus is the case with the above verses from Deuteronomy. I had always considered the "talking" of God's commands to be to your children. I didn't consider that it meant to talk of them to everyone as we have the opportunity. Yet, in fact, this is exactly what I do with my blog and I am seeing the fruit of this talking.

These commands of God have been impressed upon our hearts. They are not merely superficial bits of information which we use for our own good. They are meant for our whole society. It is through God's commands that people hear that they must "repent and be baptized" and "love one another." It is through God's commands that we know we must forgive and live holy lives. These commands are sharper than any two-edged sword which cuts deeply down to the soul of the individual and brings about conviction, repentance and restoration. They heal the broken hearted and bring joy in dire circumstances.

Who needs to hear them? All who will listen. They cannot be forced on others but they can be brought into our conversations because we seek good for our fellow beings.

But these fellow beings are only part of those who need to hear God's word. We need to hear them from our own mouths. They are impressed deeper upon our own hearts when we share them with others. They become part of who we are and have a more profound affect upon us than those who hear us say them.

Each week I preach and hope that some people fully grasp what God has taught me. But I also preach because it makes me get even more than I would if I were simply a listener. Those who grasp God's word share it with others and get more from the sharing than those who hear them say it.

And God, through the Holy Spirit, increases the application of His word so that those who hear it get more than what has been said audibly. They take this revelation of God and give it to others so that they receive even more than they would have. It becomes so much a part of them as they share it that they cannot refuse its meaning. It becomes a part of them.

There is one other person who must hear us speak God's word. It is God. He delights in hearing us say His commands with the full intention of following them. He seeks those whose heart is completely His. (2 Chronicles 16:9) He wants to throw His full support behind us.

So, go out and speak God's commands as often as you have the opportunity. It will impress those commands deeply upon your heart. And you will grow in Him like never before.

Living Like You Are Chosen

2011-09-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 (ESV) ⁴For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. ⁹For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Any Christian who has studied the Bible has probably struggled with God's chosing those whom He loves. For years I waffled on this subject. I wanted to become a strict Calvinist but it just didn't fit so many other scriptures. I could neither come to Calvinism nor could I ignore these scriptures and keep my integrity intact.

I now understand God's chosing is based on His knowledge. He knows all those what it will take to get those who will chose Him to make that choice. He works all the world to save each soul who will be saved. He also knows that there are those who will not be saved no matter what He does. So, in one sense it is God who chooses. In the other, it is "whosoever will" who chooses. I look at my salvation as my choice. God looks at it as His choice for me. I believe in heaven I will see the latter more clearly.

In the above passage, Paul has looked at this in a slightly different way. He says that the way these new believers are being changed by the grace of God proves that they have been chosen. In other words, their salvation is not dependent upon their actions but their actions prove their salvation.

The gospel came to these believers through the power of the Holy Spirit who brought full conviction. I guess I never thought of the recipients having an affect on the power of the Holy Spirit. Their acceptance of the gospel ushered the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about full conviction.

I have seen so many people make a decision for Christ that did not affect their way of living. They agreed that Jesus is the Christ but did not live like He is their Lord. They are superficial in all their faith. They do not understand spiritual things. They can answer the "church" questions correctly but their is no power in their lives. The power of the Spirit is void because they do not welcome Him into their lives.

These new believers imitated Paul and those who were with him. There was a Christian leader who I really admired. He had a deep voice and when I would teach the gospel I found myself using a much deeper voice. I wanted to be like this man because I believed that no one could walk closer to the Lord than he was. Of course, the danger is that I would be living a vicarious Christian life if I was not careful. However, it is important that a new believer has an example to follow and that he or she follows that example. It should be normal for a new believer.

The imitation of Christ found in these new believers led them to the joy of the Spirit. That makes a whole lot of sense. The Spirit desires fellowship with the Son. The new believer imitates the Lord Jesus so that the Spirit is seeing the Son in the new believer. The Spirit's joy erupts within the believer. This has little to do with the circumstances the believer finds himself in. The joy does not come from looking at the circumstances nor from trying to see the good in terrible things. The joy comes from the Holy Spirit as He fellowships with the believer who is imitating the Son.

These new believers were such examples that Paul really didn't have to say anything to preach the gospel. Their lives were saying so much that the gospel couldn't be contained. Imagine that for a moment: believers living like Christ and being so full of the joy of the Spirit that others decide that they must have what these believers possess. Now, that's evangelism!

These believers eliminated the evil which was a normal part of the lifestyle of those around them. They got rid of the idols which all of those around them possessed. They put their trust in the return of Christ rather than idols.

Many "Christians" are participating in the same sins as those who do not know Christ. They are not participating because they have had a momentary failure in their walk. They are doing so because they don't think the Christian life should prevent them from participating. Thus, their testimony is in a powerless Christ who has made no real difference in their lifestyle.

What would happen if Christians would live like these Thessalonians? The nature of the gospel would be understood differently. Those who observed believers would know that the gospel is a powerful force that changes people.

I taught school with a man who had played football while in college. One of his teammates had become a minister with a very close Christian walk. This fellow teacher had not made contact with his former team mate since they had graduated from college and did not know what had happened to him. The fellow school teacher was at my house looking at our wedding album when he noticed that this former team mate had done our wedding cermony. He looked at me and said, "So and so (I am leaving out his name because I am sure it would embarrass him.) is a preacher?!" This "preacher" had not lived a very godly lifestyle while playing college ball.

I said, "He is the strongest Christian I know."

"Well, that has to be the glory of the Lord, " was his reply.

And,indeed, it should be for all of us.

The Dysfunctional Family of God

2011-09-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Bible says that the Church is the body of Christ. This is the prevalent picture of the church even though churches want to call themselves families. Maybe that’s why so many churches have problems. They want to act like families. Thus they have:

The Black Sheep. This is the person who has done something that the church refuses to excuse. This person has gone his own way, acting and saying things the church wants to ignore. The Black Sheep calls the members of the church hypocrites because he "honestly" fails at his faith. He says the church just pretends to be faithful to the Lord. The Black Sheep is disruptive.

The Older Brother. The Older Brother tells everyone what to do. He tries to get himself elected to every committee that makes major decisions. He wants to rotate back and forth between the Personnel and Finance Committees. He wants to chair the Deacons. He would love it if he could do all three at once.

The Interfering Mother. The Interfering Mother is never elected to anything. She just wants to stir things up. She is often found in meetings bringing up the sins of others as "prayer requests" because of her feigned concern for them. She works behind the scenes to bring doubt to the integrity of the staff and pastor. She never speaks during business meetings but she has spoken to everyone who will openly oppose the proposals of committees. She is like a dog that barks until she has every other dog in town barking.

The Crying Baby. The Crying Baby isn’t revealed until his wants are unmet. He often complains if he doesn’t get a visit from the pastor while he was in the hospital even though he didn’t let the church know he was in the hospital. He is like the child who throws his bottle on the floor so his parent can pick it up. He repeats this over and over to capture the attention of his parent. Once the parent stops; he cries.

The Younger Brother Who Drinks Too Much. This person is actually a nice guy who is genuinely liked by everyone but no one ever confronts him about his drinking. They are afraid that he will be offended. He is allowed to continue in his problem because they fear that they are being judgmental. After all they all drink a bit (I am talking about sin here; not drinking.). He just does so openly and too much. They are also afraid that confronting him will cause his to stop coming the family reunions (worship meetings).

The Lazy Younger Sister. The Lazy Younger Sister doesn’t inconvenience herself about anything. She likes to go out to eat with everyone but she never pays. She loves to be invited over to a party but never throws one herself. She waits until she is sure that there are no better opportunities before saying she will attend anything. She comes on the Sundays when nothing else is available.

The Rich Uncle. The Rich Uncle is courted by everyone in the church. He gives well and they treat him with kid gloves. They all know that they will have to contribute more if the Rich Uncle stops giving so they want to make sure that he doesn’t. The Rich Uncle is really not the problem. The problem is that the other members treat him differently than they do those who can’t give as well.

Maybe you can see why the Bible makes a point in calling the Church the Body of Christ. A body part that doesn’t function is given physical therapy rather than ignored. A body part that attacks the body is called cancer and is removed. Ignoring either of these conditions can kill a body. A body works together or it doesn’t work properly.

Be the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:14-26 (ESV) ¹⁴For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be?
²⁰As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²²On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Testimonies of the Rich and Famous

2011-09-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just read the Christian testimony of another celebrity. There was nothing remarkable about this testimony other than his claim to be a Christian. I wondered why we clamor after famous people's Christian testimonies.

A new Christian is hounded if he is famous. Other Christians gather around that person and look up to him as if the acumen that he possesses in what made him famous will transfer to his faith. I don't think this is healthy for us or these famous people.

We all struggle. Being placed under a microscope doesn't help because extreme scrutiny can produce rebellion. Being followed continually by people reporting your every move is a very difficult way to live. Now imagine, you are not only being followed and reported on but you are also being criticized for everything that you do. Eventually, you have to want an escape. You want to tell people to leave you alone. Christians seem to be the last people to notice that you need your own time to live your own life.

One time I got on an elevator with a couple of very famous people. I didn't know who they were but I should have noticed the strange way they were dressed. They were wearing big sun glasses and overcoats. It wasn't that cold. The person I was with told me who they were after we got off. I was not a fan but knew who they were. I wouldn't have recognized them anyway.

Years ago we lived down the street from the lead guitarist for a famous country-western singer. The neighbor had a daughter who was the same age as my youngest daughter. They become best friends. So, there were times my daughter would go over to this CW singer's house and even traveled with him on his bus when he had reasonably local gigs. (Less than 200 miles away. My daughter was six or seven at the time. So, what kind of parent let's his daughter travel like this?)

She came back from one of these trips and told us that she didn't want to be like him. It was not a reflection of his character. She said, "He never gets to eat." They had gone to a restaurant while on this trip. People continued to interrupt his meal and ask for autographs. He literally had no time to eat.

Is this the price of being famous? I guess so. But can you imagine adding the pressure of being watched as a Christian especially in an industry which isn't known for its Christian values? I do not know if the famous CW star was a Christian. My neighbor was and the CW star's wife was. (I have had long conversations with both and am convinced.) Yet, that too is not the point. The scrutiny applied to the famous' most casual action is almost unbearable.

Personally, I don't like testimonies of famous people simply because they are famous. I don't believe they say anything other than even famous people can be Christians. A testimony should be more than that. It should reflect a life that it totally committed to Christ. These published testimonies should be exceptional because of Who they are committed to rather than who is committed.

Sure, there may be some famous Christians who have amazing testimonies. Their testimonies should be shared but not because they are merely famous. They should be shared because they are amazing. I don't think we are helping famous brothers and sisters in Christ by flaunting their faith just because they are famous. We must realize that many of them will never have spectacular testimonies if we keep hounding them when their testimony is rather thin. They are not "born again" as completely mature Christians. They are babes in Christ in the beginning. We should treat them as such.

We all fit together as the body of Christ. Those who are more famous are not more valuable. They are all a part of bringing the gospel into the world. We all grow together and thus we see God's kingdom invade this earth.

I stop each time I hear that someone famous has trusted in Christ and pray that people will surround them who will help them grow in their faith rather than exploit their fame. I am afraid that too many so called Christians will take advantage of them before they can truly set a path of knowing Jesus. It doesn't take these famous new believers to understand that they are being exploited. Why shouldn't they wonder if all this talk of Jesus is a scam when the people they should be able to trust are taking advantage of them.

Truthfully, I don't know any famous people. I don't know what they are feeling. I just think they would react to their Christian celebrity like I would act.

Colossians 1:3-8 (ESV) 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

The Necessity of Waiting

2011-09-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

I do not like waiting. I wait in a doctor's waiting room a reasonable amount of time before I ask to be rescheduled. In fact, I ask for the first appointment of the day when I schedule any appointments. I always show up early so that I won't make others wait for me but I also do not tolerate more than a reasonable wait.

My intolerance does not apply to the Lord. I cannot simply tell Him that I would like my new appointment to be His first on another day. I must wait and be glad that He sees me. I must wait and realize that the waitng was part of the plan to change me. I must wait.

That doesn't fit into our lifestyle does it? Don't we expect immediate service when we attend a church, a business or a restaurant? Sometimes we forget that God does not exist to serve us. We exist to serve Him. He has surely waited on us to get to that service.

Waiting is humbling. It puts you at the mercy of the one you are waiting on. That person has control over you. You are captured by the waiting.

Of course, He has ever right to make you wait. You are His. He is not merely more important than you are for that would be putting God at the head of a list in which comparisons are made. There is no comparison between His importance and yours. And it is not that He is more central to everything either. That is like saying that the heart is central to the body. What would our bodies be doing right now if our hearts were suddenly removed?

Nothing would exist if there was no God. There would be no universe or God or us or even the things which are causing us to worry right now. He is the "I am" because there would be nothing if He was the "I wasn't."

There is no other teacher of His will and maturity if He does not teach. His will is not separate from Himself. He is what His will is. He never acts falsly. His will is true to who He is. He acts holy because that is what He is. His will is holy because that is what He is. There is never a time that His will is unholy. Thus, you can have no other teacher to bring you to this maturity for He alone is holy.

God's timing is perfect. He gives His will, His grace, His provision or whatever else that you need at the proper moment. He waits until you are ready to receive what you need. He gives these to you to teach you that waiting on Him is best. God answers with perfect timng no matter how many tears you shed, how many times you kneel and beg or how many people you ask for prayer.

Learning to wait upon the Lord will eliminate worry. Worry is rushing into the problem with the belief that God will not arrive in time. It is doubt in His provision, wisdom, love, power and timing. Learning to wait teaches you that God's grace is only for today. He gives the grace needed for tomorrow when tomorrow is called today.

Waiting makes you notice the darkness. God allows the darkness so that we can appreciate the light. You should rest in those times of darkness just as your body rests at night. The provision is there but it cannot be seen because it is dark. You wait until the morning so that you can see the provision in the light. Waiting on the Lord is resting in the faith that He knows you intimately, knows your situation perfectly and has already made provision for you.

Waiting grows your faith. Faith isn't necessary when everything you need can be perceived with your senses. That is why so many people walk away from the Lord when they become rich and self-sufficient. But those who wait upon the Lord have the strength of their faith renewed. They can fly into things that seem impossible, run when circumstances are discouraging and walk calmly when all hell breaks loose around them.

I still don't like waiting but I am glad for every time I have waited and seen the Lord's provision. He has taught me through this waiting. I don't think I am unusual in this. I believe God makes all believers wait so that He can change them to be what they would never have been without the waiting.

Psalm 25:5 (ESV) ⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Hated for the Sake of Christ

2011-09-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

John 15:18-19 (ESV) ¹⁸“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

The world doesn't know that it hates Jesus. Mention the name of Jesus and lots of people will nod their heads and claim some affiliation with something that He said. They think that He is all about love with no thought of judgement. They think that His rampage in the Temple (when He threw out the money changers) was an attack on the establishment of the rich and religious. They may even think that they love Jesus but they have no idea how Jesus defined love.

Jesus said that those who love Him keep His commandments. Those who love Him will not pick and choose which ones to obey. They will keep them all because of their love for Him.

Those who love Him, thus, must be followers. (I just read that there is a facebook "not a fan" page. It differentiates between being a fan and a follower of Jesus. I think I will join it.) Followers don't merely tip their hats to Jesus. They become as radical as He is.

Jesus didn't set out to be hated. They hate Him for who He is. He represents a completely different means of salvation. This salvation is not based on the accomplishments of the adherents. It is based on the sacrifice of the Leader. This salvation demands commitment to this leader rather than rituals which are detached from who the person is. In other words, this salvation demands a change from the inside out rather than actions which hope to change the person from the outside in.

Jesus followers will be as strange as He is because they follow Him as their living Lord. These followers will know what He says and do what He says. They will not participate in the things which violate His commandments. The refusal to participate in the actions of the world will be seen by the world as a judgment against it.

A few years ago I refused to go to a certain movie because of its rating. I did not believe that my Lord wanted me to be there or to see that movie. I didn't condemn those who wanted to see it. I merely refused to go to the movie with them. I chose to watch a different movie. The group joined me but one of the group complained loudly of how he was unable to see the movie that he wanted to see.

I don't to say that this person hated me. I think that is too strong a term for an incident over a movie. But I do know that he hated my convictions which prevented him from doing what he wanted. I can see very easily how the world looks on these convictions. They see it as seeking to prevent them from doing what they would like. They see it as judgment against what they like.

Yet, it surprises us to find that the world is working so hard to eliminate our faith. They remove the presence of our faith wherever they find it. And no one seems to be figuring it out. There is no movement to eliminate any other faith. It is quite alright to invite another religion to speak at a school or civic function with impunity. But watch what happens when a true follower of Christ speaks. The world jumps to its feet and screams, "Intolerance!" Can we not see that this is a hatred for who we are and how the "salt" of a Christian is put on the wound of the world's sins?

Maybe that is why so many people who call themselves Christians are actually followers. They want to go along with the world so that they aren't hated.

I'll admit that I don't like being hated. I, like my Lord, do not seek it. I know that this is what I should expect if I am to be a true follower of Jesus.

Is Jesus your Lord or do you just like some of the things He said?

Where Is the Holy Spirit in Your Life?

2011-09-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

Acts 1:8 (NIV) ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Many Christians lack power. They fall into every sin. They speak of Christ without conviction. They never lead a soul to Christ. They just go to church ans live wimpy Christian lives. They don't know that it doesn't have to be that way.

Jesus promised that His followers would receive the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit guarantees power for the Christian. So, why do so many Christians live like they have never heard of the Spirit?

Many Christians resist the Spirit. Some of these have heard that those who hear the Spirit speak lack authenticity. They have heard that these people are making a mockery of their faith because they act emotionally without their minds.

Surely, an act of the Spirit is often very emotional but it is not emotions that define the act. The Spirit fills the believer, gives him faith and sends him to do His will. The response to the Spirit is a release of the person to the will of God. It is abandonment to God's will which brings the response. The person is no longer afraid of what others think and will do things that their own reserved nature would not have done. The exhibition of emotion may be the reaction of many who receive the filling and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Those watching from the outside often look upon someone full of the Holy Spirit as strange. They determine that they don't ever want this to happen to them. Many preachers support this resistance by telling their congregations that God is not a God of chaos and this appears to be chaos to them. Yes, they are correct; God is not a God of chaos but this is not chaos if you understand that God has empowered this person to forget the world and simply obey Him.

Of course, there are congregations who try to create the emotion and say that it is a work of the Holy Spirit. They encourage people to act outside of their character rather than allowing the Spirit to enter on His own. They promote the presence of the Holy Spirit as they would a celebrity who has been paid to entertain the crowd.Those who fall into these fits of emotionalism have no more power than the Christian who resists the Spirit. They are plagued with sin, powerless in their witnessing and inconsistent in their living. They roll on the church floor to be seen and to feel like they have faith.

The Holy Spirit wants to fill the Christian. Therefore, the Christian waits until he is filled. He removes the barriers to that filling. He is content to act in a calm manner if the Spirit wills it. He is content to act upon the word of the Spirit. The Christian wants his will to be the same as that of the Spirit. He is content to work quietly when the Spirit wills it.

The filling of the Spirit should not be rare. It should be normal for the believer.

The work of the Spirit will be characterized by power. The believer, full of the Spirit, will not necessarily have a booming voice but no one who hears it will be able to ignore what has been said. The hearers of the one filled with the Spirit will listen even if they choose to resist what they Spirit has said. The witness cannot be ignored.

So, what about you? I believe that anyone reading this blog is here because the Spirit has led them here. He is wanting to fill those who are reading these words. So, what about you?

Will you accept the filling of the Spirit right now? Will you obey Him in whatever He says? Will you proclaim Jesus as your Lord to someone right away? Will you renounce your sins (even those that are doubtful)?

The Spirit fills us to receive His power. Where is the Holy Spirit in your life?

Being Godly Is More than Looking Godly

2011-09-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we are very careful to look good during religious observances. We make sure that each usher takes the offering with coordination. We make sure that each person being baptized is dressed appropriately, We make sure that the deacons serve communion with military precision. We spend very little time making sure that our hearts are right.

Jesus points the Pharisees often because their outward actions indicated that their hearts belonged to God but their hearts were simply not right. They always had self-promoting motives behind their "godly" actions.

This is what turns off so many people who do not come to church. They know too many people who have made themselves important in their churches who reek of corruption. They see the preachers caught in scandals, the deacons who look down their noses at sinners and the "good" church members who gossip about everyone at their churches. They believe this is typical of all those who go to church and decide that they simply don't want to be like that.

It isn't that they dislike Jesus though. They like what they have learned about Him but their view of church is tainted by the "looking good" corruption they see in church.

One problem we seem to have is failing to admit that we are not perfect. Acting as if you are perfect should be a sure sign of hiding something. Our best response to confess our sins, admit that we have clay feet and earnestly seek to be completely honest in our presentations of who we are. We should strive to present a character of virtue. It may have some flaws but it is always seeking correction and improvement.

Last night I baptized a young lady who is eight years old. I asked her if she was excited about being baptized. She said, "I'm not perfect." That was one of the most precious statements I had ever heard. She knew that her baptism was not a presentation of perfection. It was a statement of doing what is right. Her heart was right. I smiled as I thought how right her statement was. I can't help believing that Jesus smiled too.

Luke 16:14-15 (NIV)
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

10 Years Later: Did We Forget?

2011-09-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today people will come to church hoping to hear a patriotic message. They will want to sing "God Bless America," say the Pledge of Allegiance and wave their flags. There is nothing wrong with these things but they do not get us to the heart of what we need to remember.

We need to remember the families who lost loved ones ten years ago. It is easy for them to become victims with others wanting to use them as spokespeople for their own causes. They are paraded across the television screens as a means of being used for ratings rather than truly remembering what they have lost.

We need to remember that Muslims are not our enemies. Christians should know this. We don't agree with the Islamic faith but its followers are not our enemies. The enemy is much more devious and evil.

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We need to remember that our days are numbered. The victims of September 11 went to work thinking they would come home. They had calendars with future dates on them. They did not expect this to be the last day of their lives.

Psalm 39:4 (NIV) ⁴"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

We need to remember that tomorrow is not promised. So many people are putting off what they know they must do. They have no idea that they may not be able to put it off.

James 4:13-14 (NIV) ¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

We need to remember that today is all that we have. Today is the day you should tell those you love that you love them. Today is the day you should forgive and ask for forgiveness. Today is the day of salvation for you may not have tomorrow.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) ¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

These are the lessons that 911 should have taught us as Christians. Life is precious and those whom we love are precious. We should, therefore, take advantage of every moment and do what we must as if we shall see our Savior that day.

Now imagine that today is all that you have? How will you spend it? What do you need to do?

The Light Shines in the Darkness

2011-09-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

It is a Saturday morning with no clouds in sight. My house has no power. I am sitting on my deck. I can’t let my dog outside because we have an invisible fence. No power means no fence.

It wasn’t so many years ago that no one had electrical power. They lit their lamps at night. They told stories, played games or instruments for entertainment. They gathered their food and wood to cook on their wood stoves.

What would they think if they were suddenly transported to the days of air conditioning, television, microwave ovens and internet? They may not have believed it was possible until they saw it for themselves.

Do you think this is like explaining the taste of chocolate to someone who has never had it? Imagine making radio contact with someone from a galaxy far away. Their universal translator enables communication but chocolate doesn’t exist on their world. You tell them how good it is but without tasting they will never know. They may try to live on your testimony but it will always be second hand. They will never know because they cannot taste chocolate. You can’t even say that it tastes like something else for you don’t know what things taste like on their world.

This must be what it is like for those who do not know Jesus. They hear the testimony of others. They put it in terms they already know. They will interpret it as superstition if they choose not to taste. Believing in Jesus is so far outside of the logic box of some people. It is a world apart from where they are.

I believe it would be natural for unbelievers to oppose what they believe to be superstition. I oppose superstitions; why shouldn’t they? Superstitions hold people back from the truth. Superstitions ultimately keep people from God.

But it is impossible to overcome something that has been experienced. Life comes into the believer. It is light which reveals things as they really are. It comes from a power that cannot be lost.

Telling people about Jesus is a daunting task. It is telling them of Someone that cannot be known by their mere senses. It is believing in Someone before meeting Him. It is an introduction that steps over the line from knowing about to actually knowing the Person.

So, how do I let others know He is real? I tell them that they must ask Him in. Those who truly ask have nothing to fear. Nothing will happen if He is not real. I am confident that He is. You merely have to taste.

John 1:3-5 (NIV)

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

What Is Repentance?

2011-09-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

Acts 2:37-38 (ESV) ³⁷Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance is normally described as turning away from the direction you were going. This is true but this defintion doesn't encompass all that Peter meant in the above passage. It required some action.

The people at Pentecost heard the gospel story told by Peter. They fell under conviction. True conviction demands action. They asked what they must do. They knew that their previous actions were damning. They wanted to believe.

Peter tells them that they must repent.-- But repent from what? Most say this means to repent of their sins but it has to mean much more. They had to repent of their former belief that Jesus was merely a man. They had to repent of following their religious leaders who presented Him as such. They had to see their former actions of works to produce a right relationship with God as wrong and accept the gift of salvation given by this new faith.

Baptism did not save them but it was an outward action that revealed an inward faith. It was necessary to have this outward action to cement their faith. An outward action provides a physical memory of their faith. The New Testament statement is clear: Every believer who had a chance to be baptized did so. It did not save them but allowed them to declare that they had repented of their former way of life to walk a new life in Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit came to inhabit the repentant heart. The heart was clean of its former inhabitants. It was made ready by the acceptance of Jesus Christ. The Spirit received the heart of the new believer as home rather than as a place to visit. This was new to the world. They knew that the Holy Spirit came upon people but He did not stay. Now, those who believed possessed the Spirit.

I find that many churched people do not understand repentance. They think that it means that you want to believe. They want to believe so they come to church. They want to believe so they are dunked in the water meant for baptism. They want to believe but they really haven't believed because they do not exhibit a life of repentance. They are not new creations.

Those who want to believe but never repent are like those who want to take a trip to Israel but never go. They look at the pictures, listen to the stories of others and even read the history of the land. In order to go to Israel, you have to leave where you are (unless you are already in Israel while reading this). You have to repent of where you are. You can't simply talk like you have been when you haven't.

Churches have many members who want to believe but have never repented. Thus, there are the problems in understanding spiritual things. How can they understand spiritual things when they do not possess the Spirit? Of course, this does not eliminate preachers who have merely wanted to believe. They may have charismatic personalities which draw people in but their lives do not reveal those who walk in the Spirit. They, too, merely want to believe without repentance.

The question for each of us is whether we have repented and believe that Jesus is Lord. If we repent, there is nothing we won't do for the Lord. In fact, we can do everything because He inhabits us.

Have you truly repented? Have you been baptized? Do you possess the Holy Spirit?

Why Some People Will Never Know God

2011-09-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

I want people to come to know my Lord. They will never be coerced into this belief. Therefore, I strive to understand why anyone would reject Him. Surely, some have never truly heard the message yet. They have not rejected Jesus but neither have they responded. They will when they hear of Him.

The people who perplex me are those who refuse to believe. They have a predisposition against hearing the gospel.Their minds are already made up before they have heard a word. In short, they are satisfied with their own belief. Their belief is: "there is no God."

I wonder if those who do not know the Lord are afraid of listening. And by listening, I don't mean with their ears alone. Are they willing to consider what is being said? They certainly ask if I will consider what they have said. Why shouldn't they return the favor?

Those who refuse to listen believe that they already have all the facts necessary to make an intelligent decision. They are like the person who says, "I want to buy this car. I like it and I don't want to know any of the reasons I shouldn't buy it." The decision is made. Don't muddle things with other facts that won't support the decision.

Those who refuse to listen are therefore confident of their own belief. Therefore, they have faith in it. This faith supports them when seemingly contrary facts slip through their defenses. They rush back to the safety of this faith rather than consider contrary facts.

Their faith is supported by pride. They take a great deal of pride in knowing that there is no God. Those who believe in God are ridiculed. They gather around others, who like them, support their faith by laughing at the poor ignorant believers in God. This becomes their own worship. Their pride makes them gods.

They would never seek after God. There have been too many people who have succumbed to Christianity who made an honest attempt at refuting the claims of Christianity. Again, pride comes to their rescue. An honest search is beneath them. Any search would reveal a crack in their faith. They are proud that this godless if faith is flawless.

So, they concentrate on their belief. "There is no God," they repeat again, "there is no God."

I try to understand this but I admit that I don't. Why would someone choose to live without God? Why would they choose to live without knowing the meaning for their lives? This is really more pride than I can fathom. Their pride keeps them from ever knowing Him.

So, I pray that God will soften the hearts of souls who are trying to keep Him out. I pray that I will love those who do not love Him so that they will listen and believe.

Psalm 10:4 (ESV) ⁴In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Are You Faithful with a Little?

2011-09-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

Luke 16:10-13 (ESV) ¹⁰“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹²And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

There is one word that most congregations do not want to hear. They tell their preachers to stay away from that word. Many preachers who are compelled to speak the Word of God on this word often warn their congregations the week before they preach on it. They tell them to stay away if they don't want to hear it. Many of these so-called believers will.

The word is money. and most preachers would rather mention politics than money because their people are more likely to fire them for speaking about the proper use of money than for telling them who they should vote for at the next election. The first is a matter of the Word of God which cuts through to the heart of the sinner. The latter (telling them who to vote for) is mostly opinion and can be taken or left behind.

Money in itself is not evil or unrighteous. It is merely a tool which can be used for good or evil. A firearm is neither good or evil. It can bring home a family's meal or it can take the life of another person. It is only a tool.

Jesus was speaking Aramaic though the original text is presented in Greek. All translations carry a measure of interpretation though, in this case, the translator is the Holy Spirit. The word translated for "dishonest" in the NIV is the word "adikos" in Greek. The word means unjust or dishonest. It is not necessary to be dishonest in order to be unjust with money. A person can pay someone for an assasination. The act is unjust but may not be dishonest. Therefore, I think the better translation for the sake of English is "unrighteous." This word carries the flavor of being unjust and can include dishonest. (As soon as I say the NIV is a weak version, I find a passage where it seems to have gotten closer to the original meaning than any other. So, this time I will not say it.)

The unrighteous use of money means that the money was not used in the "right" way. The proper use of all money is for the glory of God. That is our whole purpose and all that we do and use should include God's glory. This is not a passage to tell us why we don't have a lot of money. It tells us why we don't have that which is more precious than money. It tells us that the unrighteous use of money will result in receiving nothing of that which is precious.

So, what are these true riches? They are the things of God which most people do not understand as precious at all. It is God's word being revealed through the Spirit. It is the faith necessary to bring you to salvation. It is the faith necessary to walk in the peace of God when all hell is breaking around you. It is the faith that knows without doubt that God will sustain you even when there is no evidence of it. It is hearing God speak clearly so that you know what to do when there seems to be nothing that you can do. It is the joy that comes from the inside of the believer which can be known even if you are persecuted for your faith.

Money is a little thing. The problem comes when you make it large. Its importance will keep you from the true riches that God has planned of you. You cannot serve God and money. There can be only one God.

Thus, many churches die for the lack of the word of God. Neither their preachers nor their congregations have been faithful with that which was little. So, they never got that which was truly precious.

Can Money Keep You from Jesus?

2011-09-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Luke 16:1-9 (ESV) ¹He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ²And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ⁸The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

This is one of the more difficult parables to understand. I appears to praise a worker for his dishonesty but I think there is much more here than is initially revealed. Those who originally heard this parable would have had the larger context which would have revealed it more clearly than those reading it in the 21st Century.

Let's try to put it in context. The manager has mismanaged the accounts. There is no indication that he has stolen anything. He has done a poor job of keeping the accounts and is about to be fired. He knows that he has had a nice "desk job" for some time and cannot work as a common laborer. He apparently has no friends or family who will take him in. He moves quickly before he loses his job.

He goes to those who owe his master and cuts their bills so that they will pay quickly. He has learned the concept of "today and only today the price is . . . ." The people are glad to have their bills cut to the point that they will pay gladly and be very appreciative of this manager.

The master praises the manager for his shrewdness because he has made a way for himself after he is no longer employed. No master would praise a manager for losing money no matter how shrewd he was. Therefore, I believe manager was discounting the price of these bills according to his own commission. This way the master gets all that is owed to him but the soon to be fired manager has a means of surviving.

The parable deals with money and eternal life. Those who claim to have faith often hold onto their money as if it will give them peace. No one ever takes the money of this world into heaven. The shrewd use of this money is seen in giving it away so that a place for life after this life (which was the present employment of the manger in this case).

Jesus was saying that the people of the world understand this. They will get favors from others with their money so that they can be sustained or even make more money later. They see beyond their present circumstances. Religious people often fail to understand this. They hold onto their money and do not prepare for eternal life. They cannot see that holding onto their money can prevent them from eternal life.

Thus, the manager is shrewd for he has given up the temporal gain of his commission for the long term gain of obtaining favor.

Money is not evil but the want and hoarding of it is. Many will never see Jesus because of their desire for money.

Living on the Word of God

2011-09-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread by the devil. He knew that He did not live by what He ate alone. He knew that He lived by every word that came from God.

I have heard many sermons gloss over Jesus response. Those sermons emphasize that Jesus did not give into temptation but they fail to recognize living on God's word. Maybe the preachers didn't understand this.

Jesus had just fasted for forty days. He was extremely hungry. I don't think that he was significantly overweight when He began His fast. I suspect each day of the fast contained extreme physical discomfort' It is during this fast that these words our of Deuteronomy made the most sense.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

I have fasted for forty days a few times. I read a couple of books on fasting before I did so the first time. My experience was nothing like those in the books. Though I was not obese, I was also not extremely thin at the beginning of the fasts. The feelings of hunger would come and go. I found that I would completely forget hunger when I worshiped. This world and its hunger would fade as I got closer to my Lord.

The words of the Bible became richer than ever. The background noise of this world faded. I hungered after God's word and the Holy Spirit taught me. I obtained a new energy that was not physical.

I believe that Jesus would have feasted on God's word during His fast. He did not have pounds of fat to sustain Him like I did. He would have grown physically weak much faster than I did. He would have also been humbled and much stronger than I was. His Father's words would have been life to Him. He spent His days and nights in the wilderness meditating on God's Word. He understood through experience the power of living on the Word of God.

I do not believe that "food" hunger is the only type of hunger. There may be a hunger for finances or a career or children or marriage or any other thing for which a person longs for. Many of those who feel this "hunger" will curse the hunger rather than understand it as a means of truly listening to God's word. They will seek relief rather than God.

This is why people do not understand why Jesus said:

Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV)
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The things of this world are not merely circumstances by which God must operate. God is still sovereign and could take any moment to make sure that anyone is well fed, clothed and getting everything that he or she wants. He seeks for us to turn our hearts toward Him and seek what He seeks. He urges us to walk with Him. He wants us to listen to Him and in listening know through experience that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The way of the world is to feast on something that will never remove your hunger. The way of God is to seek after Him so that your hunger may be satisfied. Thus, our lives are full of worries while we seek to fill our hungers.

Very few Christians will read their Bibles today. Most will not pray or have any thoughts on what God seeks for them. They will live this day hungry even though they could have feasted on God's Word.

How Is Your Worship Working Out for You?

2011-09-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

I enjoy worship. I look forward to Sundays. I like singing with a congregation because I can blend in so that most people don't know how bad I am. I enjoy both contemporary Christian music and the hymns which represent the heritage of our faith. I would probably come to both of the worship services we have on Sunday mornings even if I wasn't the pastor.

But something else has been going on in my heart lately and I wondered if I am the only one. While I am not displeased with the current worship design, I am sensing that there is more that could be had in a different way.

Current worship is completely directed. The leaders tell the congregants when to stand, sit, sing, pray and listen. It has a pattern and is very predictable. People who have never been to church see it as fresh but I often see it as a template which can be used every week without much effort. Just plug in different songs and a couple of different people and you have a new worship service. Therefore, if you have been to one; you have been to all.

You can cruise through a worship service without having one thought about God. There has to be something wrong with this.

So, I have been talking to God about it. I asked what I could do to change worship without ripping it out by its roots. I am sensing that He wants me to start something new rather than change what we already have. He wants me to listen to Him rather than copy what someone else is doing.

I have wondered if there are others to whom God is speaking to in the same way. God often speaks to several when He wants to do something new. This is why revivals have a tendency to break out in different parts of the world simultaneously. He is all over the world at the same time bringing hearts to Himself.

I simply don't want to worship God with my lips while my heart can be far from Him. So, I am thinking:

What if worship didn't involve so many bands and instruments but was merely recorded music that could either be used to help focus meditation on the word and contemplation of someone's relationship with God?

What if worship involved spontaneous prayer, Bible reading and giving?

What if worship wasn't always on Sundays' traditional times?

What if worship was interactive rather than one directional?

I have been praying and sensing a worship that would go something like this:

Worshipers would enter the sanctuary and be given the instructions of what is going on. They are told that there will be music playing and the words will be on the screens. They are told that they may sing if they want or they can do a list of other things. They may want to read their Bibles or the one in the pew. They may want to pray. They may even want to come forward to pray for someone or even for themselves.

They are told that they should greet a couple of people and will be asked to repeat their names at the end of the worship time. They will introduce themselves to these others who will define who they are at the moment.

Each person is given plenty of time to sit still if he or she wants. Each person is given the time to stop the madness of their schedules and seek God. The message that is given is not long but it seeks to apply a scriptural truth rather than merely define it. Those who come will be given an opportunity to implement a piece of this message before they leave.

I love worship but I am sensing there needs to be more. I would love to hear from others. I would love for them to express their frustrations and what they love about worship.

How is your worship working out for you? I'd love to know.

Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)
13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

God Calls Us to Inconvenience

2011-09-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought how different the lives of the heroes of our faith would have been if they had not answered God's calling? Moses would probably been a rich man with sheep, camels, goats and cattle. Paul would have risen in the ranks of Judaism and died an important man. Peter would have fished every day and died an old man with many grandchildren.

Yet, each of the people who followed after God gave up what they were doing in order to do what God called them to. Noah spent a hundred years building a boat. Abraham left the land he knew. Gideon opposed his own family in order to follow completely after God. Elijah challenged a king. Paul went from being the persecutor to being the persecuted. God simply calls people out of their convenience to His inconvenience.

And why would you do this? Isn't it easier to tell the church you won't teach Sunday School so that you can go where you want each week? Isn't it easier to spend your money on the things you want rather than tithing to God? Isn't it easier to worship the Greens at the Golf Course than God at the Church House?

Yes, it is much easier but no one ever walked with God without walking in His calling.

The Christian life requires a total commitment which will always be seen as an inconvenience to those who refuse to walk in the Christian life. The cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is your life. You give it to Him to receive the life that He will give to you. Only those who have accepted this life that He gives can explain the pain they endure so that they may know Him more.

Someone will walk to a pulpit this Sunday and tell people that everything has been wonderful after he gave his life to Christ. He will neither understand what he has said nor has he truly experienced giving his life to Christ. He has walked an aisle, made a verbal commitment, been baptized by water and striven to continue his life without any inconveniences that this "faith" may bring. He criticizes his pastor, refuses to tithe, ducks opportunities to serve, avoids true spiritual worship and puts a Christian symbol on the back of his car.

Are we Christians merely because we say we are or because we accept God's calling?

I really can't explain why a person would go through the life of inconvenience if it weren't for the surpassing greatness of knowing His Lord deeper and stronger because he has followed God's calling. The life of inconvenience in God's calling is a priceless taste of heaven for those who grasp it. It is hell for those who refuse it.

Philippians 3:8-11 (ESV) ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

2011-09-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

People are seriously looking for God. They want to see measurable data which can be perceived with their natural senses which prove His existence. They clamor for books or the testimonies of people who say they have seen Him. They claim His presence in the healing of someone who they have prayed for but ignore all those who they prayed for and were not healed. They want God to perform on que, at the command of words, so that they may prove His existence. They want His spectacular appearance which will eliminate the doubts they have harbored.

So, down deep, they know they are covering their own doubts. They know that they have not seen Him nor have they truly known Him. They are merely hoping that the stories these who say they have died and gone to heaven are true.They want to believe that the stories in the Bible really happened. They hope that God truly provides salvation for they have nowhere else to turn.

And sometimes their doubts overwhelm them.

You will never find God in someone else's testimony. God may use that testimony to reach you but He must reveal Himself to you. God has no grandchildren. Everyone who knows Him does so personally. Another's testimony will not prove the presence of God. You must find Him for yourself.

God does not perform for anyone at their command. His healing or any of His works are done with His purpose in mind. He does not have to reveal His purpose to you. You may pray and God does something miraculous. Your testimony soars at His magnificence. Then, you pray again at what seems the same circumstance and there is silence. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. This is why Jesus taught us to pray "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Prayer is not really about us telling God what to do. It is about His will being accomplished.

God rarely reveals Himself in the miraculous. He has the capacity to bring fire down from heaven, cause a whirlwind to pick you up and transport you to another place and raise someone who has been dead for four days but He rarely does so. Faith would not be necessary in a world where the miraculous is common. Frequent miracles would actually make miracles common. They just woundn't be miracles anymore.

God, more commonly, reveals Himself in a still small voice rather than the earthquake and fierce wind. He reveals Himself when we earnestly seek Him. He proves His own existence in our hearts rather than observable events.

People who claim to know Him say that they have not experienced Him. That seems strange. How can you say that you know someone who has never spoken to you? I have met many famous people but I don't know any of them. They would not return my calls for they don't know me either. Why is it that believers have a similar relationship with God? They have met Him but they don't know Him.

We live in a world that fills our minds. We are stimulated and active from the moment we awake to when we retire at night. We take no time out to listen to God. We take no time to simply be still and know He is God. This is true in church, as well. We are commanded to stand, sing, give and listen to the preacher. We are rarely asked to be still and seek God. No wonder we have such a hard time finding Him.

You see, finding God requires the whole heart. This takes tuning a heart from listening to the world to the frequency that allows it to listen to God.

You, too, may have looked for God in all the wrong places but seek Him now with your whole heart and He promises that you will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV) ¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Free from Your Guilt Addiction

2011-08-31T05:06:00.001-07:00

Some guilt is justified. It comes because of sin. Sin is simply a violation of God's glory. We were created for His glory. Falling short of that glory is sin. And, yes, that is much more than merely breaking onr or more of the Ten Commandments.

Yet, for some reason people are not content with feeling guilty for sin which neglects God's glory. They want to feel guilty for things that had nothing to do with their actions. Some women feel guilty after being raped. Some men feel guilty for being molested as boys. Some girls feel guilty for continuing to be molested by someone whom they trusted and loved. They believe that they could have fought harder. They believe they could have told but didn't. They believe they could have stopped it. They are so ashamed of what they didn't do because they were so afraid.

So, they bottle up their hurts and they live with their guilt. It is a false guilt. There is nothing to be ashamed of but they are very ashamed. False guilt just can't be distinguished from real guilt.

What are they really ashamed of? It is the fear they had when they "allowed" these others to hurt them. They want to have been brave and died before they allowed these malicious acts upon them. They wish they had not complied but their fear was too great. Their strength was too small. They couldn't fight off their attackers.

They are ashamed that they didn't do anything about it afterwards. They may be ashamed that it happened more than once.

Some of these people will be addicted to guilt. They don't think they can raise their heads. They don't think they can ever fight off attackers. They think that the bad things that happen to them are their own faults.

Where does this guilt originate? Some of it rests on the fears of the victims. Most of it rests on an evil force that has been sent to keep them under his thumb. He seeks to keep those who could have victory addicted to their guilt for no one is truly free until he is free of his guilt. He never wants you to believe that anyone escapes this addiction. He wants everyone to live forever in guilt.

But this is not the life that Jesus Christ wanted. Jesus died so that everyone could be free from the addiction (slavery) of guilt. He made it possible for everyone to be free from their guilt addiction.

Many have already told themselves that they are not responsible for what happened in the past. They know intellectually that they should feel no guilt but their guilt remains. It comes out in their relationships with others. I comes out in their fears, their lack of trust and/or their accusations of others.

So, what should they do? Tell it all to Jesus. Admit that the fear was so great that they complied with what happened. Admit that they finally got so tired of fighting that there was no more fight left. Then, ask Him, by faith, to take away the guilt by which they have been addicted to. Ask the Lord to battle the evil one who continues to keep them under this addiction. Keep asking until the evil one leaves them alone.

Maybe this isn't a "they" to you. Maybe it is a "me." Please do not live under this addiction any longer. Tell it to Jesus. Let Him fight this battle which He already won on the cross. Fight in the strength of His might.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (ESV) ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

For All Who Are in Need of Hope

2011-08-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Not everyone is suffering. Some people are having the time of their lives. Their jobs are doing well. They are growing closer to their spouses. Their children are excelling at everything. They do not think of hope because everything seems so good. God has certainly blessed you if this is your situation.

But does that mean that He hasn't blessed those who are going through a difficult time?

Our blessings are not determined by our circumstances. God has not forgotten those who are going through difficult times. He is using these times to draw people closer to Himself. This, too, is a blessing.

However, there are many people who are struggling through the most difficult times of their lives which cannot see the blessing. They just want the pain to end. These are people who are about to be evicted, who haven't had a regular job in over a year, who are facing divorce or the loss of a child or have had their livelihood wiped out by a disaster. What do they have left?

They can have hope in the Lord. Hope is believing in something better than you presently have. It is seeing what you cannot see because you know the character of the Lord to love, provide, preserve and protect His children. It is claiming what you do not have because it has been promised to you. It is believing that His love has not left you so that you can know that He will carry you through whatever you are facing.

I suppose that the worse thing that can happen is giving up hope. Without hope you no longer get out of bed. You stop trying to make it. You stop believing.

The night can only get so dark. But every night is followed by a morning. The sun comes up and you can hope in that sun because of all the times it has risen after a dark night. You can recount all the times you have gone through difficult times and know they all had a shelf life. They can't last.

Yes, you are going through a difficult time but your hope in the Lord is that you will again praise Him for the moment He delivers you.

Of course, you can put your hope in other things. You can hope for a better economy or a better set of political leaders or the cavalry to ride up and save the day. I suppose God can use any of these things to deliver you but I assure you that these things will disappoint you. They have no love for you, nor do they care about you at all.

God loves you. He knows you. He died for you. You will praise Him again.

Why should you be downcast when the Lord of the universe loves you so much?

Psalm 42:11 (ESV)
¹¹Why are you cast down, O my soul,
        and why are you in turmoil within
                        me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise
                      him,
        my salvation and my God.

God Will Give You Every Good Thing!

2011-08-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Jesus does not give us a blank check so that He will do everything we ask of Him. That would be harmful to us. We most assuredly have asked for things against His will. Receiving those things would violate the goodness of God. Giving us those things while knowing they would harm us is paramount to a doctor writing a prescription for a narcotic because the addicted patient asks for it. That doctor would not be accepted as good. Neither will God be considered good if He gives us what we ask for apart from His will.

1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

So, we ask according to His will. This means we must seek His will. It is so easy to miss it. Our own desires get in the way. Our own reasoning as to what is needed gets in the way. Seeking is the process of finding something. God's will is not hidden from us. It is just that we have covered it with our own desires. Therefore, we seek until we get beyond our own will.

Seeking God's will should involve God's word but it cannot simply be God's word. Our own hearts can bend the Scriptures to say what we please. We will find ourselves manipulating verses to do whatever we like. We may even fool ourselves into believing these verses represent the true will of God.

Our concern, then, is in our own hearts in discovering His will. The question must be whether it is completely His or we are reserving a portion of it to do what we would like. The question is whether or not the Spirit is filling us. God always seeks to fill us with the Holy Spirit, however we must allow Him to do so.

This is where prayer and confession enter. Our hearts cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if they are already filled with something else. We confess, not to tell God about our sins but to agree with God that our sins are evil so that righteousness will be restored. Thus, the obstacles of our fillings are removed. God would never have given a command to be filled if He wasn't willing to fill us. The filling of the Spirit and knowing the will of God are tied together.

Ephesians 5:17-18 (ESV)
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Sometimes we feel as if we have been closed out from God's will. We must knock on the door that is closed so that we may gain entrance to His will. The lack of faith causes us to be closed out. There are times when we have asked for something and sought it but do not receive it because we lack faith. It is here that we must knock. The one who asks without faith will not receive anything from the Lord.

James 1:6-8 (ESV)
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Now, this becomes a real problem for us. Many think we can simply generate our own faith so that we will believe and receive. This is not the case. We do not have faith simply because we choose to believe. That would make faith more powerful than God. It would require God to muster up His own faith in order to create the world. It would make Him subservient to faith.

No, faith is a gift from God which He seeks to give us. We knock on that door to receive it. We gain entrance to God and it is ours. Even our faith for salvation is a gift from Him. We did not work up our own faith to obtain salvation. Why should we think that God will stop giving us faith after salvation? We should expect that He will continue to do so but we must also remember that we had to receive that faith for salvation and we must also receive the faith for anything else that we are to believe.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Thus, we ask, seek and knock. We receive, find and it is opened to us. No good thing is outside of God's will to give us. Of course,we can live like paupers even though we are children of the King but this is not the will of God.

God will not hold back any good thing from us. Believe it!

Be Thankful for the Faithful

2011-08-28T11:16:00.001-07:00

This morning's worship attendance was way down ( but it was much better than the churches that canceled their services). Yesterday a hurricane came through. Today many people are still without power. Many incorrectly assumed that the church would lack power and stayed at home. Many others evacuated and were not back in town. We had both of our services like normal.

I was so glad to see those who came to worship. They were an encouragement. I told them what 2 Chronicles 16: 9 says, "The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose hearts are completely His." I told them that God has been looking for them and prayed that God would give them an extra special blessing because their hearts belong to Him.

Something happens to believers when those around them are faithful to the Lord. They are encouraged to continue. It is natural to get discouraged when you believe you are the only one fighting, working, struggling for the Lord. This was one of Elijah's problems. He believed he was the last of those who served God and wanted to die.

I ran on a couple of relay teams for track when I was in high school. I always made my best times in those races because I didn't want to let the other people down. We were all much faster than we were separately. Knowing that others are working hard too encourages you to continue to run the race.

Faithfulness begets faithfulness. You don't want to let others down when you know they are doing their best. It makes you do a better job than ever before.

Having people fighting for the same cause as you makes you glad. It means that the cause will continue if something happens to you. There is no greater cause than that of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I am incredibly thankful for those who came to church today. God's going to bless them for it. I want to bless them too.

1 Corinthians 1:4 (ESV)
⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Peace Beyond Understanding

2011-08-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Judges 6:22-24 (NIV)
²²When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
²³But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." ²⁴So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

A hurricane blows outside the windows of my office as I write this. It isn't as strong as it was once predicted. It is called Irene and the sustained winds are around 85 mph. There is enough to do some destruction but not what had been predicted. I like many of my neighbors wonders what we will do with our brand new power generators. We can always drink the cases of water we all bought.

It is as calm as it has ever been inside this office. There is no wind or rain though it can be heard. The storm is just as real even though I am dry and safe. There is peace here.

God says that He is peace. Gideon made that statement about God just before he tore down his family's idols. Gideon declared himself devoted to God even before being devoted to his family. Gideon had stood in the presence of an angel of the Lord and was afraid for his life. He knew that he could not stand in the presence of holiness as a sinner. He was assured by this angel that he would not die. He took this as a word from the Lord. It promised him success in doing God's will and it gave him the resolve to do what he must do.

Peace comes from a word from God. It is a faith that believes that the God who would die for you will also walk with you. It comes when the storm rains outside and the peace reigns inside. True, godly peace comes before deliverance. It comes while in the middle of the circumstances which will destroy your world.
I have found that peace comes when I pray until I hear from God. Then, I have peace. I guess that's why Paul said that we should not be so anxious but pray.

Are you in need of peace? Pray until you hear from God. This may take some time but resolve to have the peace that passes all understanding and you will be guaranteed to have it.

For God is peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Listening to Your Heart Teacher

2011-08-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

The first amendment to the US Constitution states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The same people who wrote this amendment appointed chaplains, printed Bibles, opened meetings with prayer and put "In God We Trust" on the money. Did they not understand their own amendment or are we misinterpreting it? I personally believe it had a deeper meaning than how many interpret it. I believe it dealt with a basic spiritual fact: You can't make people believe and you shouldn't try to force them.

Faith does not come from coercion but neither does it come from mere exposure. Many people raised in homes where parents know the Lord and serve the Lord do not become believers. They may adopt a religion which is seen in ritual but it will never be seen in heart.

A little girl in our church who recently came to the Lord gave us her testimony of coming to Christ. She called the Holy Spirit her "heart teacher." (Each person who comes to the Lord in our church writes their testimony which is read right before they are baptized.) I had never heard that term before. I am sure that she made it up. I am sure she is accurate too.

People do not come to Christ unless their hearts are changed. They can't simply say the right words. Faith is an action from the heart that changes the person from the inside out. No amount of coercion can do this. No amount of exposure to religion will change the heart. This must come when the Spirit gives us the faith to believe. This must come when the heart hears and acts upon God's urging through the Spirit.

The Christian life is all about listening to your "heart teacher." He brings you to Christ, reminds you of what He has said, gives you the strength to do all things and changes you into a new creation. It all comes simply because you have heard your heart teacher.

No one can make another person believe. God chooses to let us follow or leave Him. He will give us the faith but He does not coerce the faith upon us. No person or government can make a person believe and no person or government should be allowed to.

So, on this day I have the choice before me as I do any other day.

Will I listen to my heart teacher?

Romans 5:5 (NIV) 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Galatians 4:6 (NIV) 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

You Don't Always Need the Desired Resources to Do the Will of God

2011-08-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

I grew up on a farm. That meant that you used farm implements and those you could improvise to get the job done. We would make a patch for a muffler with a tin can and bailing wire. We would use duct tape to temporarily seal a bucket. We would find old bolts to fit into those which were lost in the field. We never threw anything away. It might be needed to do something it was never intended for.

We just couldn't afford to spend our most precious resource to go to town and get the proper item. That resource was time. The sun was going to set whether we were through with our job or not. The job had to be done.

God's people have always had to listen to God and use what was provided to do His will. Moses used his staff to convince God's people that he was commanded by God to lead them out of Egypt. It was what he had in his hand.

Shamgar was a judge who used what he had to deliver Israel. He could have sat down and complained about how he needed a proper weapon but he used his oxgoad to do what most could not do with proper weapons. He did what God willed him to do with what God has already provided.

Did Joshua say that he couldn't defeat Jericho because he didn't have the right equipment. He had trumpets and people. God used what he had and the walls came tumbling down. The Bible is full of such stories of His people using what they already had to do what seemed impossible.

Some individuals and churches won't do anything for the Lord because they claim they don't have the proper resources. They speak of their lack of money, people, machines, and other materials. They act like God wants them to sit down and do nothing when they don't have what someone else has. They lack the character necessary to see God's will done. God really doesn't listen to excuses since He already knows what can be done with what people already have. They simply have to listen to Him and improvise.

Anyone who lacks the proper resource should ask himself: What do I already have if I can't get the proper resource? Can I adapt or use what I have to do what God wants me to do?

Remember: God is either going to give you what you believe you need or He has already given you all you need to do His will. His will cannot be stopped simply because you don't think you have the proper resources.

Only you can get in the way of what God wants to accomplish through you.

So, look for your oxgoads and see what God can do without the proper resources.

Judges 3:31 (NIV)
³¹After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.